Markus Sander

Biography

I have studied physics in the trinational Saar-Lor-Lux Course and graduated with a French/German diploma in physics. I joined the CoMo group in 2007. In the first part of my PhD I have investigated the oxidation of soot by nitric-oxide and oxygen using quantum mechanical methods like density functional theory. Afterwards I focused on the sintering of nanoparticles. I have developed a very detailed stochastic particle model to describe nanoparticles. The model describes particles by its primary particles that in turn are composed of individual molecules. In the following the model has been successfully applied to simulate the growth of soot particles in laminar premixed flames. Although the model has an unprecedented level of physical and chemical detail, some parameters have to be estimated using experimental data. Low discrepancy sequences and response surfaces have been used to optimise the parameters in the model. I am also investigating the performance of a stochastic optimisation algorithm. The last project of my PhD took me far away from Cambridge. I investigated the formation of a haze layer in Titan’s atmosphere.

Email:

markus.sander@cantab.net_delete_this_bit