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Chinedu Ekuma

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Chinedu Ekuma
Alma materEbonyi State University, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Southern University, Louisiana State University
Known forTypical medium dynamical cluster approximation, Defects in materials, Development of machine learning models, Strongly correlated electron systems
AwardsU.S. Naval Research Laboratory Alan Berman Research Award, George F. Adams Distinguished Research Scientist, National Research Council Fellowship
Scientific career
FieldsMaterials Science, Computational Physics, Machine Learning
InstitutionsLehigh University

Chinedu Ekuma is a Nigerian-born computational physicist, working in the field of condensed matter physics, primarily focusing on the computational design and discovery of new materials, first-principles modeling of strongly correlated systems, and the development and integration of advanced machine learning techniques. Ekuma is an assistant professor of Physics at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.

Education and Early Career[edit]

Ekuma was raised in Lagos, Nigeria. He began his academic journey at Ebonyi State University in Nigeria, where he earned a B.Sc. with Highest honor in Applied Physics in 2007. He continued his studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, obtaining a M.Sc. in Theoretical Physics in 2009. He then moved to the United States for further education, completing another M.Sc. in Computational Condensed Matter Physics at Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2010, followed by a Ph.D. in Physics from Louisiana State University in 2015.

Professional Career[edit]

After completing his Ph.D., Ekuma held several positions. He was a National Research Council Research Fellow at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.. Following this, he assumed the role of George F. Adams Distinguished Research Scientist at the U.S. Army Research Research Laboratory, where he made significant advancements in the field of computational design of advanced materials.

Research and Contributions[edit]

Ekuma has garnered recognition for his contributions to the field of strongly correlated electron systems, with a particular focus on the investigation of material imperfections and their interplay with electron-electron interactions.[1] His doctoral research, for example, offered novel insights into the interplay between Anderson and Mott physics in strongly correlated systems. He is credited with pioneering the development of the typical medium dynamical cluster approximation (TMDCA), a methodology that enhances the dynamical mean-field theory by integrating spatial correlations and intrinsic order parameter. This advancement significantly improves the modeling of Coulomb interactions and material imperfections, facilitating advancements in both theoretical understanding and practical applications.[2][3][4][5][6] Ekuma also co-developed the Bagayoko, Zhao, Williams, Ekuma, and Franklin (BZW-EF) method within the linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO) framework, which has been used to accurately describe the ground state properties of semiconductors.[7][8][9][10][11]

Additionally, Ekuma is adept at developing and employing high-performance computing (HPC), big-data analytics, and advanced data-driven techniques to refine computational models. His research has significantly influenced both the computational studies and the experimental synthesis of advanced quantum materials.[12][13][14] A notable achievement in Ekuma’s recent work is the computational design of a new quantum material, CuxGeSe/SnS. This material is distinguished by its unique intermediate band states, which are promising for solar cell applications due to their potential to significantly enhance the efficiency of photovoltaic devices beyond the theoretical Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit for silicon-based solar cells.[15]

External Links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Ekuma Research Group". Lehigh University. 2024-04-29. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  2. ^ Ekuma, C.E.; Terletska, H.; Tam, K.-M.; Meng, Z.-Y.; Moreno, J.; Jarrell, M. (2014). "Typical medium dynamical cluster approximation for the study of Anderson localization in three dimensions". Physical Review B. 89 (8): 081107(R). arXiv:1402.4190. Bibcode:2014PhRvB..89h1107E. doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.89.081107.
  3. ^ Ekuma, C.E.; Dobrosavljević, V.; Gunlycke, D. (2017). "First-Principles-Based Method for Electron Localization: Application to Monolayer Hexagonal Boron Nitride". Physical Review Letters. 118 (10): 106404. arXiv:1701.03842. Bibcode:2017PhRvL.118j6404E. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.106404. PMID 28339229.
  4. ^ Ekuma, C. E.; Gunlycke, D. (2018). "Optical absorption in disordered monolayer molybdenum disulfide". Phys. Rev. B. 97 (20): 201414(R). Bibcode:2018PhRvB..97t1414E. doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.97.201414.
  5. ^ Ekuma, Chinedu E. (2019). "Fingerprints of native defects in monolayer PbTe". Nanoscale Adv. 1 (2). RSC: 513–521. Bibcode:2019NanoA...1..513E. doi:10.1039/C8NA00125A.
  6. ^ Ekuma, Chinedu E. (2018). "Effects of vacancy defects on the electronic and optical properties of monolayer PbSe". The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. 9 (13). American Chemical Society: 3680–3685. doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b01585. PMID 29921127.
  7. ^ "Development of the BZW-EF Method for Semiconductor Analysis". Journal of Applied Physics. 2015. doi:10.1063/1.4903408.
  8. ^ Ekuma, C. E.; Jarrell, M.; Moreno, J.; Bagayoko, D. (2013). "Re-examining the electronic structure of germanium: A first-principle study". Physics Letters A. 377 (34–36): 2172–2176. arXiv:1302.3396. Bibcode:2013PhLA..377.2172E. doi:10.1016/j.physleta.2013.05.043.
  9. ^ Bagayoko, D.; Diakité, Y.I. (2023). "Realizing the potentials of density functional theory (DFT) and of the materials genome initiative (MGI)". MRS Advances. 8 (11): 619–625. Bibcode:2023MRSAd...8..619B. doi:10.1557/s43580-023-00562-w.
  10. ^ Franklin, L.; Ekuma, C. E.; Zhao, G. L.; Bagayoko, D. (2013). "Density functional theory description of electronic properties of wurtzite zinc oxide". Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids. 74 (5): 729–736. Bibcode:2013JPCS...74..729F. doi:10.1016/j.jpcs.2013.01.013.
  11. ^ Ekuma, Chinedu E.; Bagayoko, Diola (2011). "Ab-initio Electronic and Structural Properties of Rutile Titanium Dioxide". Japanese Journal of Applied Physics. 50 (10R). The Japan Society of Applied Physics: 101103. arXiv:1011.1315. Bibcode:2011JaJAP..50j1103E. doi:10.1143/JJAP.50.101103.
  12. ^ Kastuar, S. M.; Ekuma, C. E. (2024). "Chemically tuned intermediate band states in atomically thin CuxGeSe/SnS quantum material for photovoltaic applications". Science Advances. 10 (15): eadl6752. Bibcode:2024SciA...10L6752K. doi:10.1126/sciadv.adl6752. PMC 11006210. PMID 38598620.
  13. ^ Ekuma, C. E. (2024). "Computational synthesis of a new generation of 2D-based perovskite quantum materials". APL Machine Learning. 2 (2). doi:10.1063/5.0189497.
  14. ^ Najmaei, Sina; Ekuma, Chinedu E.; Wilson, Adam A.; Leff, Asher C.; Dubey, Madan (2020). "Dynamically reconfigurable electronic and phononic properties in intercalated HfS2". Materials Today. 39: 110–117. doi:10.1016/j.mattod.2020.04.030.
  15. ^ "Lehigh Physicists Develop New Energy-Efficient Quantum Material". Lehigh University. 2024-04-29. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
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