Kostya Trachenko
School of
Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of
London, email k.trachenko-at-qmul.ac.uk
Before joining QMUL, I was a PhD student at Cambridge
University. After completing my PhD degree, I was awarded a
Research Fellowship in Darwin College, Cambridge, and an
EPSRC Advanced Research Fellowship.
My research interests mostly lie in theoretical and
computational condensed matter physics: fundamental theory
of liquid and supercritical states of matter, glass
transition, glasses, high pressure and radiation damage
effects including in nuclear waste forms and fusion
reactors. I am also interested in links between field theory
and condensed matter physics and links between fundamental
physical constants and system properties. Here are
representative publications in these areas. Related
research is discussed here.
I am a recipient of the EPSRC-CCP prize
for "outstanding contributions to theory and modelling of
condensed matter phases". Our work has been awarded the top
10 Physics Breakthroughs in 2020.
I enjoy working
with both graduate and undergraduate students and
received the Golden Corduroy Jacket award for best
teaching. My PhD
students are
awarded major international prizes, complete their
projects in less than 3 years and receive (and decline)
job offers from research centers such as Cornell, Oak
Ridge Lab, MIT and Kings College. Please get in
touch about a PhD project.
Highlights in news and media:

- Award of the top
10 Physics World Breakthroughs in 2020
- Upper bound on the speed of sound in the
Economist, ("MaxMach" in the Economist print edition),
Physics
World, Science
News, Sky
News and Daily
Mail
- Minimal quantum viscosity in Physics
World and Cosmos
Magazine
- Vacuum
energy gets flexible - IoP news
- Slow bitumen flow in BBC
Feature Article, New
Scientist and Physics
World. The video abstract is here.
- New understanding of supercritical state in Physics
Today
- Phonon theory of liquid thermodynamics in Physics
World
-
IoP highlight story about the first
glimpse into radiation damage processes inside a fusion
reactor
Animations of atomic motions in liquids,
glasses and radiation damage from molecular
dynamics simulations