Name: Titus S. van Erp
Date of Birth: 22-09-1974
Married to: Caroline
Children: Sebastien (2005), Cedric (2007), and Sophie (2011)
Education:
1999: Master in Theoretical Physics (Nijmegen, The Netherlands)
2003: PhD in Natural Sciences (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Work Experience:
2003-2006: Postdoc/Marie-Curie Fellow at the ENS-Lyon and CECAM-institute,
Lyon, France.
2006-2012: Centre-of-Excellence Senior Researcher at the Department of Surface
Science and Catalysis, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
2012-2016: Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry, NTNU,
Trondheim, Norway.
Since 2016: Full Professor
ResearcherID:
www.researcherid.com/rid/G-2045-2012
Research Statement:
The understanding of chemical, physical, and biological processes at the
molecular and atomistic scale has changed our daily life. Medicines,
computers, mobile phones, tablets, plastic, solar-cells, space crafts, and
many more things would not have been developed without this knowledge. These
are impressive achievements, but our knowledge on how exactly molecules
interact is still very much limited. Our time faces big challenges regarding
energy resources and environment. Solutions to these problems require
revolutionary breakthroughs which are likely to be found at the molecular
scale. Computer simulations are the ideal tool to obtain information at this
nanoscale that is mostly invisible for experiments. However, even if we have
the right theory, which is Quantum Mechanics, solving the corresponding
equations for a complex system would take centuries even for the fastest
computer on earth. A large number of smart tricks, algorithms, and subtile
approximations boosted the field of Molecular Modeling tremendously. Although
it is impossible to overestimate the importance of the incredible increase of
computer power to this field, its effect is relatively small in comparison
with the development of inventive new algorithms and methods. Yet, there is no
reason to rest and be satisfied. We are still far from a situation in which we
can just ‘design‘ new materials and medicines by running computer simulations.
We can not reach the time-scales and length-scales of important processes that
occur in biological or industrial processes without making crude
approximations or invoking uncertain assumptions. My research aims to bring
forward the molecular understanding of complex processes using state-of-the-
art simulation techniques. In addition to these applications, a large part of
my research is also devoted to the development of new innovative methodologies
that can enhance the accuracy of present methods and expand accessible time-
and system scales of computer simulations.