Dongqing Wei
Professor
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
China
Biography
Prof. Wei is best known for his ground-breaking work on theory of complicated liquids. He along with Prof. Gren Patey have found that strongly interacting dipolar spheres can form a ferroelectric nematic phase. This was the first demonstration that dipolar forces alone can create an orientationally ordered liquid state. It is also the first time that the existence of a ferroelectric nematic phase has been established for a model liquid. This discovery solved a long standing problem in theoretical physics, and created a new direction in search for new liquid crystal materials (Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 2043, 1992), cited about 180 times). In recent years, Prof. Wei developed tools of molecular simulation and applied them to study biological systems with relevance to computed aided drug design and structural biology.
Research Interest
Quantum & statistical mechanical theory and computer simulation of molecular clusters, liquids, liquid crystals, solid/liquid interfaces, energetic materials and biologically interesting systems.