Hello, my name is David Thomas. Welcome to my webpage.
I have just completed a PhD at Lancaster University in the Condensed Matter Theory group. I worked with Neil Drummond using quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods to study low-dimensional quantum systems. Some of my recent work includes studying excitonic complexes in type-II semiconductor nanostructures such as quantum rings and superlattices, as well as in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides. I have also performed ab-initio calculations of defect formation energies in graphene. I have made a few contributions to the CASINO QMC code. A derivation of the importance-sampled imaginary time Schrödinger equation (the equation that governs the the diffusion Monte Carlo method) can be found here.
Outside of academia I am a keen runner and orienteer, with a particular interest in the navigation aspect of the orienteering. I have been in Scouting for many years, and still attend troop nights on a weekly basis as a leader. I closely follow the Formula 1 motor racing championship.