Entry Date:
November 15, 2013

Willard Group


The Willard research program explores how emergent physical properties are controlled by the characteristics of nanoscale disorder. This relationship arises when collective molecular fluctuations encounter environments with slowly relaxing nanoscale disorder. The approach is theoretical, with an emphasis on the development and application of intuitive physical models. The research group combines these models with the tools of modern statistical mechanics to illuminate (1) how collective molecular fluctuations are modified in the presence of nanoscale disorder and (2) how these modifications impact fundamental processes in chemistry, physics, and biology.