William Klein

Professor Klein’s research interests include the kinetics of phase transitions, the physics of earthquakes and the study of damage in materials. The study of the kinetics of phase transitions involves understanding nucleation from metastable states, the evolution of unstable states and the formation of glasses. The study of earthquakes involves constructing models, both mathematical and numerical, of earthquake fault systems understanding the physics of these models and applying this understanding to predict the behavior of actual fault systems. Understanding the physics of damage involves understanding how damage is created in materials and how the damage affects processes such as phase transitions and fracture. The methods he uses to study these problems include statistical field theories, stochastic methods such as the Langevin and Fokker-Planck equation and simulations including Monte Carlo, molecular dynamics and non-Boltzmann sampling methods.