Dmitry N. Chigrin

Roles and Affiliations: PD Dr. Dmitry N. Chigrin is a Senior Lecturer at RWTH Aachen University's Department of Physics and the independent Research Group Leader of the 'Theory of Complex Materials' at DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials. He holds a Heisenberg Fellowship from the DFG (German Research Foundation).

• PhD in Electrical Engineering (2004, University of Wuppertal)
• Habilitation in Theoretical Physics (2014, Friedrich Schiller University Jena)

Research Interests: Chigrin focuses on theoretical and computational physics of complex artificial systems, including phase-change materials (e.g., Ge-Sb-Te), reconfigurable metamaterials, and multiphysics simulations of nanostructured systems. His work spans plasmonics, photoacoustic imaging, and hydrogel-based micro-robotics. He develops models for phase transitions, thermal-electromagnetic coupling, and nanoparticle synthesis in hydrogels.

Publications and Impact: His recent articles emphasize practical applications of phase-change materials for tunable metasurfaces and biomedical imaging. Key contributions include optimizing nanoparticle geometries for photoacoustic imaging and tailoring infrared resonances in metamaterials.

Awards and Recognition: Recipient of the Heisenberg Fellowship (2017), highlighting his international standing in theoretical physics.

Grants and Collaborations: Active in funded projects like 'Graphene-enabled active terahertz photonics.' Collaborates with institutions such as the University of Jena and international research groups on topics like plasmonic nanostructures and hydrogel systems.

Labs and Teams: Leads the 'Theory of Complex Materials' group at DWI, focusing on interdisciplinary research at the intersection of physics, materials science, and engineering.