2009 High Performance Computing Grant Winner Profiles

Pictured holding the check is grant winner Shaikh Ahmed from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Pictured L to R, back row, are ORAU Board Chair Win Phillips, Interim ORAU President Homer Fisher, ORAU Council Chair Sandra Degen and Deputy Associate ORNL Lab Director for Computing and Computational Sciences Jeff Nichols.

Dr. Shaikh Ahmed

Assistant Professor, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC), Department of Chemistry

Co-researchers/students
Jayson Fitch, Shareef Mohammad

ORAU Member Councilor
Dr. John Koropchak

Research Focus
Modeling nanoelectronic materials and devices for use in harsh environments.
Nanostructures have at least one physical dimension of size less than 100 nanometers (nm). As a point of comparison, the diameter of a human hair is approximately 100,000 nm. These tiny devices demonstrate new functionalities in which inter-atomic interactions and quantum mechanical nature of charge carriers (electrons) play an important role in determining the overall device performance. Progress towards the discovery of novel and revolutionary nanoscale devices demands a comprehensive understanding of these atomistic effects and can be accelerated only through advanced, community-oriented and cyber-enabled scientific computing.

The aim of the research is to advance the state-of-the art of the modeling of the nanoelectronic materials and devices used in harsh environments. The term harsh environments refers to locations characterized by extremely high or extremely low temperatures, chemically corrosive or erosive conditions or high radiation fields.

What does it mean to you to win this grant?
“Winning the ORAU/ORNL HPC grant will remain, in the years to come, a great source of inspiration for us to pursue and establish a high-quality, well-rounded research program at SIUC. That is apart from receiving access to one of world’s leading and comprehensive computing platforms.”

What are you most looking forward to in working with ORNL’s computing resources and staff?
“We look forward to a unique opportunity to work, interact and establish potential collaboration with the scientists/researchers at ORNL with far-reaching mutual benefits.”

What will it help you accomplish in your research that you couldn’t have done otherwise?
“Modeling of realistic-size nanoscale devices demands the solution of quantum-mechanical non-equilibrium statistical mechanics within an atomistic material representation containing millions of complex degrees of freedom. Computations of this scale have previously been impossible, due mainly to the lack of sufficiently powerful computers. Winning this grant creates an opportunity for us to advance the state-of-the-art of modeling of nanoelectronic materials and devices through integrating a multi-scale and modular computer simulation platform. This will enable innovations of new hazardous environment nanoelectronic devices with high integration density (more than one billion devices per chip), improved reliability and low cost for use in the defense, aeronautics, aerospace, oil drilling, automotive industries, as well as others. Hazardous-environment nanodevices will diversify and expand the global semiconductor market.”

How will others (your students, the research community, your university, etc.) benefit from what you plan to accomplish through your research under this grant?
“The software developed will be open-source and deployed along with a graphical user interface on the National Science Foundation’s nanoHUB.org for the broader nano community to use in research and classrooms. Tool documentation, tutorials, case studies along with all teaching modules, will also be posted on the nanoHUB.”