Efstratios M. Kritikos

Efstratios M. Kritikos is a Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in the Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). His office is located in 285 Watson Laboratory (95), and he holds an email address emk@caltech.edu. Kritikos specializes in investigating the interplay between electrostatic fields and complex chemical systems, with a focus on combustion processes, nanoparticle dynamics, and plasma physics.

His research employs reactive molecular dynamics simulations to explore phenomena such as iron nanoparticle oxidation, electrostatic catalysis in hydrogen-oxygen combustion, and plasma-catalyzed ice nucleation. Key areas include understanding how external fields influence reaction kinetics, material properties, and phase transitions at the atomic level.

Kritikos’s work bridges computational chemistry and engineering applications, addressing challenges in energy systems, environmental science, and materials degradation. His recent studies emphasize the role of electrostatic interactions in hydrocarbon combustion, nanoparticle-catalyzed reactions, and plasma-induced processes. While no explicit awards are listed, his publications reflect cutting-edge contributions to combustion science and nanotechnology.

His current projects involve kinetic modeling of microchannel heat transfer and the development of advanced computational frameworks for simulating electrostatic effects in reacting flows. Kritikos collaborates across disciplines within Caltech’s applied sciences community to advance atomistic-level understanding of complex chemical systems.