Dr. Veerle M. Keppens

Associate Professor

Ph.D., K.U. Leuven (Belgium): Materials Physics and Physical Acoustics; elastic properties and lattice dynamics of novel materials

 

Brief Bio

Dr. Keppens earned her bachelor’s degree (1989) and Ph.D. (1995) in Physics from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium).  Her dissertation research included the study of the anomalous properties of disordered solids at low temperatures. From 1995 to 1998, Dr. Keppens was a Fulbright fellow in the novel materials group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she became interested in the elastic properties of new materials. In 1998 she received a Humboldt-fellowship to do research at the Institut fuer angewandte Physik in Heidelberg.  In 1999, Dr. Keppens joined the faculty in the Physics Department at The University of Mississippi. There she taught courses in introductory physics and modern physics, and set-up a laboratory for Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy. In 2003, Dr. Keppens joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee, where she continues to study the elastic properties and lattice dynamics of novel materials.  Dr. Keppens has authored or co-authored over 50 technical papers and has contributed to over 70 (15 invited) technical presentations at national and international conferences. 

Research Areas

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Elastic constants and lattice dynamics of novel materials, including transition metal oxides, frustrated magnets and spin glasses, and thermoelectric materials

Selected Awards and Honors

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2007  University of Tennessee Chancellor’s award for professional promise in research and   creative achievement
2005  University of Tennessee Dept. Materials Science and Engineering Outstanding Young Faculty Researcher Award
1998  Alexander von Humboldt fellowship
1995 Fulbright-Hays fellowship
1995 NATO fellowship

Professional Activities

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» APS Member
» ASA member
» ASM member

Selected Publications

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The effect of disorder on the elastic and thermal transport properties in thermoelectric Zn4Sb3, S. Bhattacharya, R. P. Hermann, V. Keppens, T. M. Tritt, and G. J. Snyder, Physical Review B 74, 134108 (2006).

Direct Experimental Evidence for Atomic Tunneling of Europium in Crystalline Eu8Ga16Ge30, R.P. Hermann, V. Keppens, P. Bonville, G.S. Nolas, F. Grandjean, G.J. Long, H.M. Christen, B.C. Chakoumakos, B.C. Sales, and D. Mandrus, Physical Review Letters 97, 017401 (2006).

Four-well tunneling states and elastic response of clathrates,  I. Zerec, V. Keppens, M. McGuire, D. Mandrus, B. C. Sales, and P. Thalmeier, Physical Review Letters 92, 185502 (2004).

Metallic “Ferroelectricity” in the Pyrochlore Cd2Re2O7 ,  I. A. Sergienko, V. Keppens, M. McGuire, R. Jin, J. He, S. H. Curnoe, B. C. Sales, P. Blaha, D. J. Singh, K. Schwarz, and D. Mandrus, Physical Review Letters 92, 065501 (2004). 

Localized vibrational modes in metallic solids, V. Keppens, D. Mandrus, B. C. Sales, B. C. Chakoumakos, P. Dai, R. Coldea, M. B. Maple, D. A. Gajewski, E. J. Freeman, and S. Bennington, Nature 395, 876 (1998).

 

Contact Dr. Keppens

312 Dougherty Engineering Bldg.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-2200
Tel: (865) 974-3494

Email: vkeppens @utk.edu

Home page: http://web.utk.edu/~vkeppens/