Joseph Vella Joseph R. Vella Title Associate Research Physicist Website Google Scholar Email [email protected] Bio/Description I am a chemical engineer interested in applying molecular modeling techniques in order to deepen our understanding of plasma-surface interactions. The main application of this knowledge is the development of plasma-driven etching processes for advanced microelectronics. I am currently an Associate Research Physicist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). I grew up in Ocean Township, New Jersey. I attended Rutgers University for my undergraduate education where I obtained a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics., After this, I obtained my Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Princeton University. During my time at Princeton I studied modeling liquid metals using classical molecular dynamics with an eye to their application in fusion energy applications. I was co-advised by Professor Athanassios Panagiotopoulos and Professor Pablo Debenedetti. After graduating, I spent a few years in the Houston area working for ExxonMobil's thermodynamics group. In 2021, I decided to return to the world of molecular simulations and started a post-doc with Professor David Graves at PPPL. In this role, my main project focuses on using classical molecular dynamics to study atomic-layer etching (ALE) processes. Selected Publications ORCID Related News How black silicon, a prized material used in solar cells, gets its dark, rough edge