This is the personal website for Liz Stippell, a fourth-year PhD candidate at the University of Southern California, Physical/Theoretical Chemistry. My CV can be found here (last updated 05/2025).
I am passionate about closing the gap between experimental and theoretical findings. When these two parts are merged, the most objective truth may be discovered.
Studying Energetic Materials.
Studying new energetic materials is vital for their development, understanding, and application. There is a wide range of promising materials for semiconductor applications currently being studied, including but not limited to: perovskites, quantum dots, oxide systems, and graphene-based systems. Understanding charge transfer and transport in these systems is a main research interest, as understanding these dynamic properties is key for energy advancement.
Molecular Dynamics.
Molecular dynamics (MD) is a computational method of simulating the movement of atoms and molecules over time. MD is used in various research fields including, but not limited to, catalysis, drug discovery, and energy-related processes such as charge transfer. The latter is the primary focus of my research. MD may be used for a diverse assortment of energy types, including nuclear energy and solar energy. More information can be found on the Publications page.
Methods Development.
Methods development is an integral part of the research process. Designing methods that both increase efficiency and accuracy and vital in designing better simulations. Machine learning is an extremely popular choice for overcoming computational challenges. Other areas of methods development that I am interested in is using symbolic derivations to compute the equations of motion needed for MD simulations. More information can be found on the Publications page. Ongoing, non-published methods development interests include automated structure generation based on experimental compositions and new attempts at the many-electron Schroedinger equation.