My name is Eduardo Sanz.  I am from Madrid, Spain and I currently work as a Marie Curie post-doctoral research fellow in the Condensed-Matter group of the School of Physics and Astronomy in the University of  Edinburgh, UK.

I use computer simulations to understand the phase behaviour of condensed-matter systems. Let me explain what do I mean by “condensed-matter”, “phase behaviour”, and “computer simulations”.

A condensed-matter system is a set of particles (molecules/colloids) that “live” together in any non-gaseous state; namely  solids (ice), fluids (water), liquid-crystals (digital watch display), gels (tooth paste), glasses (window glass) and solutions (salt in water). Condensed-matter systems have many potential applications, hence being of great interest understanding their properties from a fundamental point of view.  For instance, many computer screens contain liquid crystals (You can check if yours does by gently pressing the screen with a finger tip. If so, you’ll see a liquid-like wave around your finger). The change of orientation of the liquid crystal molecules caused by electric signals determines the color you see on the

display.

Understanding the phase behaviour of condensed matter systems means knowing when (at which temperature/pressure/external field), how,  and why one of the aforementioned states of aggregation (solid, fluid, liquid-crystal, gel, glass, solution) transforms into another. This is a crucial issue, as the macroscopic properties of a condensed-matter system  dramatically depend on its state of aggregation.

 

Simulating a condensed-matter system implies running a computer program that moves the set of particles  according to the forces with which they interact. Computer simulations is a very powerful tool to understand the physics governing condensed-matter systems, given that it provides information at the single-particle level. This information can subsequently be used to control the macroscopic properties of the system.

For a more detailed overview of my research you can have a look at the “Career and research interests” section or at my list of publications.