In August 2003, the Department of Chemistry and the
Department of Physics &
Astronomy at The University of
Hawaii at Manoa opened the new interdisciplinary graduate program
‘Reaction Dynamics, Laboratory Astrophysics, and
Planetary Sciences’ leading to a Ph.D. degree in chemistry and physics,
respectively. The prime directive of this endeavor is to
unravel the underlying mechanisms on how complex, often carbon-bearing
molecules and nanostructures are synthesized from the bottom
up via single atoms, radicals, and small
molecules in extreme environments. These are combustion flames, rocket
propulsion systems, in the interstellar medium, atmospheres of
planets and their satellites, cometary comae, and chemical vapor
deposition processes. The
experiments involve reactive scattering studies and employ a novel
crossed beams machine (gas phase chemistry) and gas-surface scattering
setups (interaction of extraterrestrial ices, carbonaceous surfaces,
and minerals with charged particles, UV/VUV photons, and atoms);
theoretical studies engage modern electronic structure calculation to
untangle the energetics, dynamics, molecular structures,
and the elementary mechanisms in the gas phase and in the solid state.
Newly formed molecular species and nanostructures are characterized via
atomic force and scanning tunneling microscopes, spectroscopically
employing laser detection techniques, and through time-of-flight mass
spectrometry.
In
collaboration with several research groups
from the Hawaiian Institute of
Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP), the Institute for Astronomy (IfA),
and The Open University (UK) (Distance
Learning
Open University),
cutting edge research projects (laboratory
experiments, electronic structure calculations, astronomical
observations) will be linked to lecture courses outlining fundamental
principles in physical chemistry, physics, reaction dynamics,
astrochemistry, astrobiology, planetary chemistry, combustion sciences,
and nanomaterial research. Students are required to accumulate 6
credits in seminars and 18 credits in graduate
courses . Requirements are reduced for those students holding a
master degree or equivalent. An interdisciplinary seminar series
is an integral part of this graduate program. Speakers involve
participating graduate students, local faculty members, and external
guest lecturers, which are internationally recognized experts in the
fields of reaction dynamics, astrophysics, astrobiology, planetary
sciences,
and combustion chemistry. Extensive collaborations within the NASA-Astrobiology Institute at
The University of Hawai'i enable graduate students at an
early
stage of their career to gain also valuable professional research
experience beyond the State of Hawaii.
Interested candidates should send a letter of interest, three letters
of recommendation, transcripts or equivalent documentation, and a
curriculum vitae to Prof. Ralf I. Kaiser, Department of Chemistry,
University of Hawai’i at Manoa, 2545 The Mall, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
(email:
kaiser@gold.chem.hawaii.edu ) or to Prof. Klaus Sattler, Department
of Physics, University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (email: sattler@hawaii.edu ). Depending
on the qualification, candidates are offered teaching (TA) or research
assistantships (RA) and full tuition fee waivers.
