Dr. Nicholas Pike

Research Scientist

Computational Method and Software Development


Computational Method and Software Development

Advancing materials science requires not only applying existing computational methods but also developing new and more efficient tools. [cite_start]A key part of my work involves creating software and methodologies that streamline the process of computational discovery, effectively connecting first-principles calculations and molecular dynamics simulations.

My contributions in this area include:

DFTCONTROL Developer: I am the developer and primary user of "DFTCONTROL," a Python package designed to facilitate the generation, execution, error handling, and data analysis of simulations. This tool streamlines our computational workflows and ensures robust, reproducible results.

ABINIT Contributor: I have contributed to the development of ABINIT, a major open-source software suite for materials simulation. My specific contributions improved the analysis of Raman spectra and the calculation of nonlinear optical properties.

Force Field Development: My work also involves developing and fitting interatomic potentials, such as the charged-optimized many-body (COMB) potential for the Al-O-Se-Zn system. Creating accurate potentials is essential for enabling large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of complex systems.

These efforts are critical for building a robust and efficient computational framework, enabling more powerful and reliable simulations to predict material behavior.


Publications


Fitting the charged-optimized many-body potential for the Al-O-Se-Zn system


Nicholas A. Pike, Ruth Pachter

Computational Materials Science, vol. 228, 2023, p. 112371


ABINIT: Overview and focus on selected capabilities


Aldo H. Romero, Douglas C. Allan, Bernard Amadon, Gabriel Antonius, Thomas Applencourt, Lucas Baguet, Jordan Bieder, François Bottin, Johann Bouchet, Eric Bousquet, Fabien Bruneval, Guillaume Brunin, Damien Caliste, Michel Côté, Jules Denier, Cyrus Dreyer, Philippe Ghosez, Matteo Giantomassi, Yannick Gillet, Olivier Gingras, Donald R. Hamann, Geoffroy Hautier, François Jollet, Gérald Jomard, Alexandre Martin, Henrique P. C. Miranda, Francesco Naccarato, Guido Petretto, Nicholas A. Pike, Valentin Planes, Sergei Prokhorenko, Tonatiuh Rangel, Fabio Ricci, Gian-Marco Rignanese, Miquel Royo, Massimiliano Stengel, Marc Torrent, Michiel J. van Setten, Benoit Van Troeye, Matthieu J. Verstraete, Julia Wiktor, Josef W. Zwanziger, Xavier Gonze

The Journal of Chemical Physics, vol. 152, 2020 Mar, p. 124102