Xi Chen

Xi Chen serves as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Applied Physics at Aalto University's School of Science. With a Doctor of Natural Science in Theoretical Physics awarded in 2009, they maintain an active research program at the intersection of computational physics, quantum mechanics, and nanomaterials science. Their work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals through advancements in sustainable energy and materials technologies.

Dr. Chen's research focuses on the computational modeling of nanoclusters, particularly gold and silver systems, using advanced density functional theory methods. Their work spans from fundamental quantum mechanical studies of conformational isomers and molecular structures to practical applications in electrocatalysis, biosensing, and bioimaging. Recent investigations include machine-learning accelerated structure search for ligand-protected clusters and the enhancement of molecular circular dichroism with silver nanoparticles.

Analysis of recent publications (2023-2025) reveals a strong trend toward applied research with practical implications, particularly in catalysis for hydrogen production and sustainable fuel synthesis. The research combines cutting-edge computational methods with experimental validation, demonstrating interdisciplinary collaboration across physics, chemistry, and materials science.

As Principal Investigator, Dr. Chen led the Academy of Finland-funded project "Computational study of fluorescent silver clusters with implications for biosensing and bioimaging applications" (2020-2022). They have organized significant academic events including the GPAW Users and Developers Meeting (2021) and hosted international collaborators such as Xiaomi Guo (2019-2020). Their research fingerprint shows deep expertise in nanoclusters (100%), density (84%), conformational isomerism (72%), and time-dependent density functional theory (46%).