Overview
Patrick Charbonneau is Professor of Physics at Duke University. His research in soft matter and statistical physics uses theory and computer simulations to study glassy materials and frustrated systems. He also contributes to the history of science, curating projects on quantum and statistical physics as well as food history.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Professor of Physics
·
2025 - Present
Physics,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Director of Graduate Studies of the University Program in Materials Science and Engineering
·
2024 - Present
Pratt School of Engineering
Professor of Chemistry
·
2026 - Present
Chemistry,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Recent Publications
The geometry of jamming algorithms in the random Lorentz gas.
Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · November 2025 Deterministic optimization algorithms unequivocally partition a complex energy landscape into inherent structures (ISs) and their respective basins of attraction. Can these basins be defined solely through geometric principles? This question is paramount t ... Full text CiteWomen in the History of Quantum Physics Beyond Knabenphysik
Book · July 31, 2025 Accessible and engaging, this book is relevant for a wide audience including historians, scientists and science educators, gender theorists and sociologists. ... CiteElizabeth Monroe Boggs: From Quantum Chemistry to the Manhattan Project
Chapter · July 31, 2025 Elizabeth Monroe, married Boggs (1913−1996), trained as a mathematician at Bryn Mawr, as a mathematical chemist at Cambridge, and as a theoretical chemist at Cornell, before joining the Manhattan Project at the Explosives Research Laboratory. Although her ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Cracking the Glass Problem
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of Chicago · 2016 - 2023Soft Matter Simulation and Theory of the Crystal Assembly of Globular and Membrane Proteins
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2018 - 2022Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Training Program
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2005 - 2021View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
Harvard University ·
2006
Ph.D.
McGill University (Canada) ·
2001
B.S.