Massimiliano Di Ventra is an American-Italian
theoretical physicist
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain, and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experi ...
. Specializing in
condensed-matter physics
Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, especially the solid and liquid phases, that arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms and electrons. More gen ...
, he is the co-founder of MemComputing, Inc.
Education
Di Ventra obtained his undergraduate degree in
physics
Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
''summa cum laude'' from the
University of Trieste
The University of Trieste (, or UniTS, Formerly Regia UniversitĂ degli Studi or The Royal University of Studies) is a public research university in Trieste in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in northeast Italy. The university consists of 10 ...
(Italy) in 1991 and did his PhD studies at the
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (, EPFL) is a public university, public research university in Lausanne, Switzerland, founded in 1969 with the mission to "train talented engineers in Switzerland".
Like its sister institution E ...
(Switzerland) in 1993–1997.
Career
He was a visiting scientist at the
IBM T.J. Watson Research Center and a research assistant professor at
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...
before joining the physics department of
Virginia Tech
The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...
in 2000 as assistant professor. He was promoted to associate professor in 2003. In 2004, he moved to the physics department of the
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...
, where he was promoted to full professor in 2006.
In 2022, Di Ventra was accused of retaliation by a
striking graduate student worker in his lab as he gave the student a "U" (unsatisfactory) grade. In response, Di Ventra said he did not threaten the student and that the grade related to the student's lack of performance in classes, saying: "it’s a student class, it’s not related to the strike". After reaching its agreement, the union agreed to drop all charges of
unfair labor practices
An unfair labor practice (ULP) in United States labor law refers to certain actions taken by employers or unions that violate the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (49 Stat. 449) (also known as the NLRA and the Wagner Act after NY Senator ...
.
Research
Di Ventra has published more than 200 papers in refereed journals (he was named 2018 Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate Analytics) and has 7 granted patents (3 foreign). He is the co-founder of MemComputing, Inc.
Di Ventra has made several contributions to
condensed-matter physics
Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, especially the solid and liquid phases, that arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms and electrons. More gen ...
, especially quantum transport in atomic and
nanoscale systems,
non-equilibrium statistical mechanics
In physics, statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods and probability theory to large assemblies of microscopic entities. Sometimes called statistical physics or statistical thermodynamics, its applicati ...
of
many-body systems
The many-body problem is a general name for a vast category of physical problems pertaining to the properties of microscopic systems made of many interacting particles. Terminology
''Microscopic'' here implies that quantum mechanics has to be ...
,
DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. The ...
by
tunneling, and
memelements.
He suggested the MemComputing paradigm of computation,
and with his group and collaborators he derived various analytical properties of
memristive networks, including the
Caravelli–Traversa–Di Ventra equation,
an exact equation for the evolution of the internal memory in a network of memristive devices.
Books
* M. Di Ventra and Y.V. Pershin,
Memristors and Memelements: Mathematics, Physics, and Fiction' (Springer, 2023).
* M. Di Ventra,
MemComputing: Fundamentals and Applications' (Oxford University Press, 2022).
* M. Di Ventra
''The Scientific Method: Reflections from a Practitioner''(Oxford University Press, 2018).
* M. Di Ventra,
Electrical Transport in Nanoscale Systems' (Cambridge University Press, 2008).
* M. Di Ventra, S. Evoy, J.R. Heflin, eds.,
Introduction to Nanoscale Science and Technology' (Springer, 2004).
References
External links
Di Ventra's webpageDi Ventra's Google Scholar citations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Di Ventra, Massimiliano
University of Trieste alumni
21st-century Italian physicists
21st-century American physicists
Fellows of the American Physical Society