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YURI O. POPOV

Department of Physics 2200 Fuller Ct., Apt. 1103B

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI 48105

450 Church St. 734-276-6681

Ann Arbor, MI 48109 yopopov_at_gmail_dot_com

EDUCATION______________________________________________________________________________

Ph.D., Physics, University of Chicago, 2003.

Dissertation: “Singularities, Universality, and Scaling in Evaporative Deposition Patterns.”

Advisor: Prof. Thomas A. Witten.

B.S., Physics, Moscow State University, 1997.

Summa cum laude, cumulative GPA 5.0/5.0.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE__________________________________________________________________

Lecturer, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Department of Physics, undergraduate sequence “Introductory Physics
for Science and Engineering Majors 1 and 2”, 2008-present.

· Conducting discussion sections (12 hours a week).

· Holding full responsibility for more than 200 undergraduate students per semester, including their classroom
sessions, homework, exams, and grades.

· Assisting undergraduate students with Physics-related problems individually and in small groups (4 hours a week).

Physics Tutor, University of Chicago, College Core Tutor Program, 1999-2001.

· Assisted undergraduate and graduate students with Physics- and Math-related problems individually and in small
groups (8 hours a week for two calendar years).

Teaching Assistant, University of Chicago, Department of Physics, graduate course “Quantum Mechanics 2”, 2000.

· Graded the homework and exams.

· Assisted the professor in developing solutions of the problem sets.

Teaching Assistant, University of Chicago, Department of Physics, undergraduate sequence “Physics for Science
Majors 1, 2, and 3”, 1997-1998.

· Conducted lab sessions (8 hours a week for a full calendar year).

· Graded lab notebooks, homework and exams; held extensive office hours.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE__________________________________________________________________

Post-doctoral Researcher, Case Western Reserve University, Department of Physics, 2007-2008.

Principal investigator: Prof. Philip L. Taylor.

Research subject: Equilibrium structure of ionomer membranes in fuel cells.

• Studied dipole screening and dipole correlations in partially charged polymer systems.
• Developed a theoretical framework for understanding the influence of electrostatic interactions on the structure of
  ionomer membranes.
• Applied field-theoretic techniques to dipolar interactions.

Post-doctoral Researcher, University of California, Santa Barbara, Materials Research Laboratory, 2005-2007.

Principal investigator: Prof. Glenn H. Fredrickson.

Research subject: Formation of complexes and correlation properties in polyelectrolyte systems.

• Formulated field-theoretic models for polyelectrolyte solutions and analytically solved them by employing
  fluctuation expansions in arbitrary dimensions.
• Investigated phase separation and polyelectrolyte complexation under various conditions.
• From first principles, predicted a novel correlation length associated with electrostatic interactions in oppositely
  charged polymer systems.
• Obtained comprehensive scaling results for several polymer problems of varying complexity.

Post-doctoral Researcher, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Department of Physics, 2003-2005.

Principal investigator: Prof. Alexei V. Tkachenko.

Research subject: Effects of structural singularities and sequence disorder on DNA micromechanical properties.

• Developed an analytical model for the elastic response of a worm-like polymer chain with reversible kink-like
  defects.
• Predicted a renormalization of the DNA persistence length in the limit of small stretching forces and the formation
  of multi-kink structures in the limit of large stretching forces.
• Analyzed the effects of inherent sequence disorder on DNA looping and cyclization by accounting for both random
  intrinsic curvature and inhomogeneous bending rigidity.
• Discovered a remarkably wide (up to several orders of magnitude) distribution of cyclization probabilities for even
  completely random nucleotide sequences.

Graduate Research Assistant, University of Chicago, James Franck Institute, 1998-2003.

Advisor: Prof. Thomas A. Witten.

Research subject: Colloidal suspensions and solute transfer in evaporating sessile drops.

• Developed a theory of solute transfer near the edge of a drying drop with a sharply bent contact line.
• Analytically predicted two qualitatively different angular regimes near the singularity of the vertex.
• Generalized an existing theory to account for the spatial extent of deposit patterns.
• Solved an independent problem on hydrodynamic interactions in colloidal suspensions.

Undergraduate Thesis Research, Moscow State University, Department of Physics, 1995-1997.

Advisors: Prof. Alexander N. Semenov and Prof. Igor Y. Erukhimovich.

Research subject: Nematic ordering in anisotropic polymer networks.

· Extended a mean-field theory of nematic ordering to non-Gaussian networks with “frozen” anisotropy and
analytically predicted a soft deformation mode.

PUBLICATIONS___________________________________________________________________________

Y.O. Popov, G.H. Fredrickson “Field Theory of Polyelectrolyte Complexation: An Auxiliary Fields Approach.”

In preparation.

J. Lee, Y.O. Popov, G.H. Fredrickson “Complex Coacervation: A Field-Theoretic Simulation Study of Polyelectrolyte
Complexation.”

The Journal of Chemical Physics, 128, 224908 (2008). (arXiv:0803.3994)

Y.O. Popov, J. Lee, G.H. Fredrickson “Field-Theoretic Simulations of Polyelectrolyte Complexation.”

Journal of Polymer Science B: Polymer Physics, 45, 3223-3230 (2007). (arXiv:0705.0718)

Y.O. Popov, A.V. Tkachenko “Effects of Sequence Disorder on DNA Looping and Cyclization.”

Physical Review E, 76, 021901 (2007). (arXiv:cond-mat/0510302)

Y.O. Popov, A.V. Tkachenko “Effects of Kinks on DNA Elasticity.”

Physical Review E, 71, 051905 (2005). (arXiv:cond-mat/0410591)

R. Zheng, Y.O. Popov, T.A. Witten “Deposit Growth in the Wetting of an Angular Region with Uniform Evaporation.”

Physical Review E, 72, 046303 (2005). (arXiv:cond-mat/0410493)

Y.O. Popov “Evaporative Deposition Patterns: Spatial Dimensions of the Deposit.”

Physical Review E, 71, 036313 (2005). (arXiv:cond-mat/0408106)

Y.O. Popov, T.A. Witten “Characteristic Angles in the Wetting of an Angular Region: Deposit Growth.”

Physical Review E, 68, 036306 (2003). (arXiv:cond-mat/0301336)

Y.O. Popov “Effects of Flow on Measurements of Interactions in Colloidal Suspensions.”

Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 252, 320-325 (2002). (arXiv:cond-mat/0103426)

Y.O. Popov, T.A. Witten “Characteristic Angles in the Wetting of an Angular Region: Surface Shape.”

The European Physical Journal E, 6, 211-220 (2001). (arXiv:cond-mat/0006387)

Y.O. Popov, A.N. Semenov “Nematic Ordering in Anisotropic Elastomers: Effect of Frozen Anisotropy.”

The European Physical Journal B, 6, 245-256 (1998).

INVITED TALKS__________________________________________________________________________

Y.O. Popov “Polymer Physics at Mesoscopic Scale: from Bulk to Single Molecules.” University of Texas, San Antonio,

October 2008.

Y.O. Popov “Polymer Physics at Mesoscopic Scale: a Field-Theoretic Study of Fluctuation Effects in Charged Systems.”

University of California, Los Angeles, July 2008.

Y.O. Popov “Polymer Physics at Mesoscopic Scale: a Field-Theoretic Study of Fluctuation Effects in Charged Systems.”

Northwestern University, July 2008.

Y.O. Popov “Polymer Physics at Mesoscopic Scale: from Bulk to Single Molecules.” University of North Carolina,

Chapel Hill, February 2008.

Y.O. Popov “Biopolymers: A Physicist’s Perspective.” Temple University, April 2007.

Y.O. Popov “Biopolymers: A Physicist’s Perspective.” University of Rhode Island, April 2007.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS___________________________________________________________

Y.O. Popov, P.L. Taylor “Field-Theoretic Study of Fluctuation Effects in Charged Systems.”

American Physical Society March Meeting, New Orleans, LA, March 2008.

Y.O. Popov, A.V. Tkachenko “Effects of DNA structure on its micromechanical properties.”

Mechanics of Life: from Biomolecules to Molecular Machines, Ann Arbor, MI, June 2007.

Y.O. Popov, G.H. Fredrickson “Field Theory of Polyelectrolyte Complexation.”

American Physical Society March Meeting, Denver, CO, March 2007.

Y.O. Popov, J. Lee, G.H. Fredrickson “Polyelectrolyte Complexation: Analytical and Field-Theoretic Simulation Studies.”

Complex Fluids Design Consortium Annual Meeting, Santa Barbara, CA, January 2007.

Y.O. Popov, A.V. Tkachenko “Effects of Sequence Disorder on DNA Looping and Cyclization.”

Gordon Research Conference, Ventura, CA, February 2006.

Y.O. Popov, A.V. Tkachenko “Effects of Sequence Disorder on DNA Looping and Cyclization.”

American Physical Society March Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, March 2005.

Y.O. Popov, A.V. Tkachenko “Effects of Kinks on DNA Elasticity.”

Statistical Physics of Macromolecules: from Electronic Structure to Fluid Dynamics, Santa Fe, NM, May 2004.

Y.O. Popov, A.V. Tkachenko “Effects of Kinks on DNA Elasticity.”

American Physical Society March Meeting, Montreal, QC, March 2004.

Y.O. Popov, T.A. Witten “Spatial Extensions of the Evaporative Deposition Patterns.”

American Physical Society March Meeting, Montreal, QC, March 2004.

Y.O. Popov, T.A. Witten “Singularities, Universality and Scaling in a Pointed Evaporating Drop.”

American Physical Society March Meeting, Austin, TX, March 2003.

Y.O. Popov, T.A. Witten “Singularities, Scaling and Universal Exponents in a Pointed Evaporating Drop.”

Nanohybrid Structures Workshop, Chicago, IL, November 2002.

Y.O. Popov, T.A. Witten “Characteristic Angles in Evaporative Deposition in a Pointed Droplet on a Plane.”

American Physical Society March Meeting, Indianapolis, IN, March 2002.

Y.O. Popov, T.A. Witten “Contact Line Deposits in an Evaporating Drop over a Plane Angular Sector.”

Gordon Research Conference, New London, CT, June 2001.

AWARDS_________________________________________________________________________________

Travel Grant for the conference “Statistical Physics of Macromolecules: from Electronic Structure to Fluid Dynamics.”

Los Alamos National Laboratory, 2004.

Graduate Full-Tuition Merit Scholarship.

University of Chicago, Department of Physics, 1997-2003.

Russian Federation Government Fellowship, “awarded to university students who demonstrate exceptional abilities
to study and conduct scientific research.”

State Committee for Higher Education, Government of the Russian Federation, 1995.

Soros Fellowship, “in recognition and appreciation of outstanding achievements in the study of science at the university
level.”

International Soros Science Education Program, 1994.

Finalist of the Russian National Physics Olympiad, 1990.

First Prizes at several regional Physics Olympiads and Mathematics Olympiads, 1989-1991.

ACADEMIC SERVICE______________________________________________________________________

Manuscript reviewer for Physical Review E, Europhysics Letters, Macromolecules, and Journal of Materials
Science, 2001-present.

Member of the American Physical Society, 2001-present.

Group meetings organizer, University of Chicago, Department of Physics, 2001-2003.

Undergraduate Admissions Committee member, Moscow State University, Department of Physics, 1997.

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS____________________________________________________

Consulting experience in a joint project by the Material Research Center and Graduate School of Business,
University of Chicago, 2001.

· Served on a five-member team of advanced science and business students for a software feasibility study under a
$50,000 contract with a major corporation.

· Identified and quantified a value proposition; developed market entry strategy.

Fluent in Russian.

Computer skills: MS Windows, Unix, TeX/LaTeX, Pascal, Fortran, WR Mathematica, MicroCal Origin, MS Word,
MS PowerPoint, MS FrontPage, and other software products.

Expert in passenger transportation and cartography (with an emphasis on urban and rail transit).

REFERENCES_____________________________________________________________________________

Prof. Glenn H. Fredrickson, University of California, Santa Barbara, Departments of Chemical Engineering and
Materials.

+1-805-893-8308, ghf_at_mrl_dot_ucsb_dot_edu

Prof. Alexei V. Tkachenko, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Department of Physics.

+1-734-763-4154, alexei_at_umich_dot_edu

Prof. Thomas A. Witten, University of Chicago, Department of Physics and James Frank Institute.

+1-773-702-0947, t-witten_at_uchicago_dot_edu

Prof. Philip L. Taylor, Case Western Reserve University, Department of Physics.

+1-216-368-4044, taylor_at_case_dot_edu

Prof. Philip A. Pincus, University of California, Santa Barbara, Departments of Physics and Materials.

+1-805-893-4685, fyl_at_mrl_dot_ucsb_dot_edu

Prof. David G. Grier, New York University, Department of Physics.

+1-212-998-3713, david_dot_grier_at_nyu_dot_edu

Prof. Alexander N. Semenov, University Louis Pasteur Strasbourg, Institute Charles Sadron.

+33-388-414-058, semenov_at_ cerbere_dot_u-strasbg_dot_fr