Dario Alfè

Prof. Dario Alfè holds the position of Professor of Physics at the Department of Earth Sciences, University College London (UCL), and is affiliated with the London Centre for Nanotechnology. His research focuses on computational materials science, geophysics, and quantum simulations, with particular emphasis on high-pressure material properties, Earth's core dynamics, surface catalysis, and quantum Monte Carlo methods. He is renowned for developing the PHON software tool for phonon calculations, widely used in computational physics.

Research Interests:

• Ab initio modeling of materials under extreme conditions (high pressure/temperature)
• Earth's core composition and dynamics
• Surface physics and catalysis on metal surfaces
• Quantum Monte Carlo simulations
• Ab initio calculations of phase transitions and thermodynamic properties

Awards:

• Philip Leverhulme Prize in Physics (2002)
• European Young Investigator Award (EURYI, 2005)

Software Contributions: Developed the PHON program for phonon calculations, interfaced with VASP, WIEN2K, and PWSCF.