Connor L. Box
Theoretical and Computational Chemist, University of Cambridge.
Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Connor Box develops first-principles methods for nonadiabatic dynamics and electron-phonon coupling, with the aim of making dissipative chemistry and quantum energy transfer predictive across surfaces and materials.
His research program connects method development, scientific software, and applications in surface chemistry and superconductivity. By linking electronic friction, lattice dynamics, nuclear quantum effects, and scalable electronic-structure theory, he builds computational tools that can explain measured energy flow and enable genuinely predictive simulation in real materials.
Research Vision
I want to establish a research program that treats nonadiabatic energy exchange and quantum nuclear motion as quantitative, first-principles design problems rather than qualitative corrections. The long-term goal is to build robust theoretical and software frameworks that connect electronic friction, electron-phonon coupling, ring-polymer dynamics, and quantum dynamics across catalysis, interfacial chemistry, and superconducting materials.
At Cambridge, working with Mariana Rossi, I am extending this agenda toward nuclear quantum effects and ring-polymer methods that can capture the quantum behaviour of light atoms such as hydrogen. I am especially interested in how these effects shape interfacial chemistry, surface dynamics, and superconductivity in systems such as metallic hydrides.
Connor is a Research Associate in the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge, where he is developing methods for nonadiabatic dynamics with nuclear quantum effects. He completed his PhD at the University of Warwick, where he worked on dissipative dynamics in gas-surface scattering, and he holds an MChem degree from the University of York.
news
| Jun 26 | Connor gives invited seminar talk at Hamburg, “Electron-phonon coupling and superconductivity in FHI-aims”. |
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| May 26 | Connor gives invited seminar talk at Cambridge, “Energy dissipation at metal surfaces”. |
| Apr 26 | Connor attends Faraday Discussions in Manchester (Vibration at interfaces). |
| Feb 26 | Faraday Discussions paper is published! |
| Jan 26 | Connor joins Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry at University of Cambridge. |
selected publications
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Tc from real space: first-principles electron-phonon superconductivity in FHI-aims2026In preparation
