Dr. Priya Vashishta

Biography

Priya Vashishta is a professor of materials science, computer science, and physics at the University of Southern California (USC), where she serves as the Dean's Professor in the Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. She is the director of the Collaboratory for Advanced Computing Simulations and has made significant contributions in the areas of high-performance computing, computer-aided design of high-temperature materials, and multimillion-atom simulations of materials and devices. Her research focuses on exploring the effects of extreme conditions on everyday materials, leading to the development of newer and better-designed products, including components for computer chips that are resistant to corrosion and oxidation. Vashishta, alongside her colleagues Rajiv Kalia and Aiichiro Nakano, employs supercomputers to simulate the atomic and molecular behavior of materials, advancing the field of nanoscale processing. Furthermore, she is committed to education and mentoring, particularly for underrepresented groups, having organized an annual computational science workshop for undergraduates.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards