Paul Sánchez
Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR)
Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences
The University of Colorado at Boulder
431 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0431
USA

Reserch Skills:
  • Operative Systems: Linux, Windows
  • Programming: C, Mathematica (Wolfram Research)
  • Modelling: Molecular Dynamics
  • Computer Graphics: OpenGL


Having gone through two very different fields, i.e. Computational Quantum-Chemistry and Granular Dynamics, and presenting my work in different congresses has helped me to gain experience in delivering information to different audiences with different backgrounds, interests and languages.

This change in fields has also demanded from me to learn and develop skills from scratch, as well as to become familiar with a completely new theoretical background, investigation techniques and even experimental work.

Languages:
  • Spanish: Native
  • English: Fluent
  • French: Intermediate
  • Russian: Beginner
Conference Contributions:
ContributionPresented atDate
Presentación de Póster: Density Inhomogeneity, YORP and Itokawa “DPS08” 40th Annual Meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society, Ithaca, USA. 10-15 Octubre 2008
Talk: Playing with Sand and other Grains: Some Problems in Granular Dynamics Primer Congreso de Física Fundamental y Aplicada, EPN, CORFFA, Quito, Ecuador 5-6 January 2004
Talk: Segregation and Stripe Formation in Fluid Driven Granular Mixtures) Southern Workshop in Granular Materials-2003, Pucón, Chile 10-13 December 2003
Poster presentation: Segregation and Stripe Formation in Fluid Driven Granular Mixtures Flow Regimes, Transitions and Segregation in Granular and Particle-Laden Flows, Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge, UK 22-26 September 2003
Invited Student Particle and Size Segregation, Mixing and Pattern Formation in Granular Materials, Lancaster, UK 11-16 August 2002
Poster presentation: Study of the Electronic and Structural Properties of Nb-doped SrTiO3 Tetragonal and Cubical Phases CLACSA X Décimo Congreso Latinoamericano de Ciencias de Superficies y sus Aplicaciones, San José, Costa Rica 3-7 July 2001
Invited Student International Conference "PASI" Pan-American Advanced Studies Institute, San José, Costa Rica 24 June-2 July 2001
Invited Student Spring College on Numerical Methods in Electronic Structure Theory, Trieste, Italy 7-25 May 2001
Publications:
TitleAuthorsPublication
1. Theoretical studies of impurity doped and undoped BaTiO3 and SrTiO3 crystals H. Pinto, A. Stashans, P. Sánchez Defects and Surface-Induced Effects in Advanced Perovskites, Ed. G. Borstel, NATO Science Series, High Technology, 2000, Vol. 77, p. 67-72
2. A Theoretical study of La-doping in strontium titanate A. Stashans, P. Sánchez Materials Letters, 2000, Vol. 44, p. 153-157
3. Computational study of structural and electronic properties of superconducting La-doped SrTiO3 P. Sánchez, A. Stashans Philosophical Magazine B, 2001, Vol. 81, p. 1963-1976
4. Computational studies and comparison of Nb- and La-doped SrTiO3 P. Sánchez, A. Stashans Physica Status Solidi (b), 2002, Vol. 230, p. 397-400
5. Chaotic Dynamics of an Air Damped Bouncing Ball M. A. Naylor, P. Sánchez, M. R. Swift Physical Review E, Vol. 66, 057201, 2002
6. Computational study of Nb doped SrTiO3 P. Sánchez, A. Stashans Materials Letters, 2003, Vol. 57, p. 1844.
7. Superconductivity and Jahn-Teller polarons in titanates A.Stashans, H. Pinto, P. Sánchez Journal of Low Temperature Physics, 2003, Vol. 130, p. 415
8. Numerical Simulations of Air-Driven Granular Separation Parthapratim Biswas, P. Sánchez, Michael R. Swift, P.J. King Physical Review E, 68, 050301, 2003
9. Segregation and Pattern Formation in Vibrated Granular Mixtures M. R. Swift, P. Sánchez and P. J. King Advances in Science and Technology, 43, 225 (2004)
10. Stripe Formation in Granular Mixtures due to the Differential Influence of Drag P. Sánchez, Michael R. Swift, P.J. King PRL, 93, 184302, 2004
11. The Separation of Binary Granular Mixtures Under Vibration and Differential Magnetic Levitation Force A. T. Catherall, P. López Alcaraz, P. Sánchez, Michael R. Swift and P. J. King PRE, 021303, 2005
12. Rheology of confined granular flows: Scale invariance, glass transition and friction weakening P. Richard, A. Valance, J.-F. Metayer, P. Sánchez, J. Crassous, M.Y. Louge and R. Delannay Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 248002, 2008
Laboratory Visits - Seminars:
SeminarPresented atDate
Segregation and Pattern Formation in Fluid Driven Granular Mixtures GMCM, Université de Rennes1, Rennes, France 9 May 2006
Computational Physics – A new form of Research Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, Campus Sur, Quito, Ecuador 23 May 2005
Separation and Pattern Formation in Fluid-immersed Granular Mixtures Centre for Computational Sciences, Chemistry Department, University College of London, Londres, UK 21 July 2004
Computational Study of the Geometrical and Electronic Struture of La-doped SrTiO3 Department of Quantum-Chemistry, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden 31 May 2001

Awards and Achievments:
  • 2005
    Biographee in Who's Who in the World from the 2006 edition, Marquis
  • 2004
    Biographee in Who's Who in Science and Engineering from the 2005-2006 edition, Marquis.
  • 2001-2004
    Overseas Research Studentship Award Holder, United Kingdom
  • 2001
    Second Prize, Scientific Excellence, Corporación de Física Fundamental y Aplicada, Quito, Ecuador.
  • 1999
    Founder Member and Researcher, Centro de Investigación en Física de la Materia Condensada, Corporación de Física Fundamental y Aplicada, Quito, Ecuador.
  • 1994
    9th place, National Physics Contest, Theoretical Modality, Colegio Alberto Einstein, Quito, Ecuador.
    7th place, National Physics Contest, Experimental Modality, Colegio Alberto Einstein, Quito, Ecuador.
  • 1993
    5th place, National Physics Contest, Theoretical Modality, Colegio Alberto Einstein, Quito, Ecuador.

Research Interests:
Quantum - Chemistry:
My research in this field dealt with the electronic and structural properties of La [1, 2, 3] and Nb [4, 6] doped SrTiO3; a perovskite type crystal that when in its tetragonal phase, becomes superconductor at 114 K. Using computational software (CLUSTERD) that implemented the INDO method modified for crystals, it was possible to find the change in its electronic structure and also a peculiar relaxation of the lattice around the impurity, as the Jahn-Teller [7] effect seemed to be present in both cases. The importance of this kind of materials is not just scientific, but also industrial and technological as they have applications in advanced microelectronic devices, materials for holographic storage, advanced level sensors and actuators, a new type of solar cells manufacturing, thin film of integrated devices, and many others.

Granular Dynamics:
This is on going research and was also the main topic for my PhD thesis. My research work in the Nottingham Granular Dynamics Group was the development of a piece of computer code, using Molecular Dynamics techniques, to simulate the behaviour of grains when driven by an incompressible fluid [5, 8, 9, 11] and, later, under the influence of strong magnetic fields [10]. With this code it was possible to gain detailed knowledge of granular and fluid dynamics, and predict phenomena that were subsequently observed experimentally, work that I also carried out [9]. At the GMCM I studied avalanches and super-stable-heaps; which has also demanded much learning and improving on the MD code I have developed. The improved code allowed us to calculate the stress tensors and erosion dynamics in the aggregate [12]; the latter was confirmed experimentally later on. Now at CU-Boulder, my work has to do with granular flows in asteroids. Here I am seizing the opportunity to work in a part of my field where little has been studied. Non-constant gravity, excitation, flows will be investigated among other topics and experimental work will not be left aside.

Job History:
  • March 2006 - present
    Postdoctoral position at the GMCM; hired by the University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France.
Education:
  • 2001-January 2005
    PhD in Theoretical Physics at the School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham. Thesis title: Fluid driven Separation and Pattern formation in Granular Media.
  • 1994-2000
    Physics - Specialty in Material Science, Equivalent to MSc, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador. Thesis title: Computational Quantum-Chemical Study of the Electronic and Structural properties of Cubical and Tetragonal La-doped SrTiO3.
  • 1988-1994
    Physics and Mathematics, Equivalent to british A levels and French Baccalauréat, Colegio Técnico Aeronáutico de Aviación Civil, Quito, Ecuador.

Comments and questions are welcomed:
From the beginning of this webpage I have received questions and one or two comments, from students mainly, to which I have answered in my free time. Feel free to write me; it is always nice to receive a message from the other side of the world.

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