My name is Caroline Gorham Holden. I graduated in 2018 with a Ph.D. in Materials Science from Carnegie Mellon University – advised by Prof. David E. Laughlin. I also obtained a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from CMU in 2015.
Together, we are working on a unified theory of solidification of crystals and glasses – and thermal transport properties – using a quaternion orientational order parameter. I hope to extend this to further generalizations of physics in higher-dimensions.
This site is dedicated to this work in particular.
After graduating, I applied my ideas towards the design of topological superconducting materials for quantum computing as a postdoc at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. I now work for IBM as a data scientist.
“The deepest and most interesting unsolved problem in solid state theory is probably the theory of the nature of glass and the glass transition. This could be the next breakthrough in the coming decade. The solution of the problem of spin glass in the late 1970s had broad implications in unexpected fields like neural networks, computer algorithms, evolution and computational complexity. The solution of the more important and puzzling glass problem may also have a substantial intellectual spin-off. Whether it will help make better glass is questionable.” ∼ P. W. Anderson (Science 1995)