Jeff Chen

Jeff Chen
Professor, University Research Chair
Location: PHY 367

Biography

Soft matter is a cross disciplinary research field involving physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science. Dr. Chen uses basic tools such as statistical physics, field theory, neural networks, and computer simulations to study structural formation in polymers and liquid crystals.

Research Interests

  • Condensed matter physics theory

  • Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics computer simulations

  • Biological physics

  • Polymers and biopolymers

  • Condensed Matter

  • Biochemistry and Biophysics

  • Soft Matter

Scholarly Research

Education

  • 1988 PhD Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, U.S.A.

  • 1982 BSc Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

Awards

  • 2015, Fellow, American Physical Society

Service

  • 2008-2016, Physics and Astronomy Departmental Chair, University of Waterloo

  • 2002-2007, Associate Dean of Computing, Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo

Affiliations and Volunteer Work

  • Cross-appointed faculty, Department of Chemistry

  • Affiliate member, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Teaching*

  • NANO 600 - Introduction to Nanotechnology
    • Taught in 2022
  • PHYS 263 - Classical Mechanics and Special Relativity
    • Taught in 2022, 2023
  • PHYS 359 - Statistical Mechanics
    • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022
  • PHYS 363 - Intermediate Classical Mechanics
    • Taught in 2024
  • PHYS 364 - Mathematical Physics 1
    • Taught in 2024, 2025
  • PHYS 704 - Statistical Physics 1
    • Taught in 2024, 2025

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

Selected/Recent Publications

  • Chen, J.Z.Y. Theory of wormlike polymer chains in confinement, Prog. Poly. Sci (2016) volume numbers 54-55, pp. 3-46.

  • Li, Y., Miao, H., Ma, H., Chen, J.Z.Y. Topological defects of tetratic liquid-crystal order on a soft spherical surface, Soft Matter (48) volume number 9, pp. 11461-11466.

  • Jiang, Y., Chen, J.Z.Y. Influence of Chain Rigidity on the Phase Behavior of Wormlike Diblock Copolymers, Phys Rev Lett. (2013), volume number 110, 138305(1)-138305(5).

  • Su, Y.C., Chen, J.Z.Y. A model of vesicle tubulation and pearling induced by adsorbing particles, Soft matter (20) volume number 11, pp. 4054-4060.

  • Meng, F., Chen, J.Z.Y., Doi, M., Ouyang, Z. The phase diagram and radial collapse of an inflated soft tube under twist, Soft Matter (35) volume number 11, pp. 7046-7052.