Dr. Kenneth T. Park

Education

• Ph.D. - Physics, University of Rochester - 1993
• M.A. - Physics, University of Rochester - 1990
• B.A. - Physics, Univ. of California, Berkeley - 1988

Biography

After obtaining Ph.D. degree in 1993, Dr. Park continued his work with Prof. Kamil Klier at Lehigh University, in the Department of Chemistry as a post-doctoral researcher. Using high resolution X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (Scienta ESCA 300), he investigated surface electronic and atomic structures and their relationship to chemical reactivity on model catalytic systems. In 1997, Dr. Park joined the Baylor faculty as an assistant professor in physics. In 2004, he was awarded tenure and promoted to an associate professor. In June of 2004, he left for Oak Ridge National Laboratory for sabbatical research. After he came back in January of 2005, he assumed the Director of Graduate Study until May of 2006. He has continued his collaboration with colleagues at ORNL and Louisiana State Univeristy.

Academic Interests and Research

Dr. Park's research interests have been centered on understanding of surface atomic and electronic structures and their effect toward adsorbates. In the past couple of decades, he has investigated defect formation, their atomic structure, and local stoichiometry on single crystal TiO2 surfaces. Particularly using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, he studied the relationship between local stoichiometry and structure in nanometer-sized surface defects and their chemical property. More recently, he employed all-electron density functional theory (DFT, implemented in Wien2k) to investigate the electronic, thermodynamic, and mechanical properties of TiO2 polymorphs using the Hubbard-corrected DFT approach.

Research Interests

Computational Solid State Physics

• Materials modeling using the Hubbard-corrected DFT method
• Stability of high-pressure phases & phase transition

Experimental Solid State Physics

• Surface defects & nanoparticles on TiO₂
• Alkali metal adsorbed on MoS₂: Electron donor-acceptor complex
• Metal-organic interface: Thin films of metallo-phthalocyanine (MPc, M = Cu, Ni, Co, and Fe)

Selected Publications

"Controlling Projection-Space Artifacts in DFT+U via Projection-Consistent U_eff" Manjula Raman and Kenneth Park, APL Computational Physics 2, 026110 (2026).

“Stability of TiO₂ phases studied using r²SCAN in the Hubbard-corrected density functional theory,” Jared Pohlmann, Manjula Raman, Lily Bonds, and Kenneth T. Park, Molecules 30, 560 (2025).

Editor’s Pick “Revisiting DFT+U Calculations of TiO₂ and the Effect of the Local-projection Size,” Kenneth T. Park, Manjula Raman, Anjy-Joe Olatunbosun and Jared Polhmann, AIP Advances 14, 065114 (2024). 

“Probing Structure of Cross-Linked (1x2) Rutile TiO₂(110): Adsorption of Trimethyl Acetic Acid,” Ke Zhu, Yaobiao Xia, Zhenrong Zhang, and Kenneth T. Park, J. Phys. Chem. C 120, 15257-15264 (2016). 

“Evidence of Coulomb Blockage Behavior in a Quasi-zero Dimensional Quantum Well on TiO₂ Surface,” V. Meunier, M. H. Pan, F. Moreau, K. T. Park, and E. W. Plummer, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 107, 14968 (2010). 

“Nanoclusters of TiO₂ Wetted with Gold,” K. T. Park, V. Meunier, M. Pan, W. A. Shelton, N. –H. Yu, and E. W. Plummer, Surf. Sci. 603, 3131 (2009).

“A Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Study on the Effect of Post-Deposition Annealing of Copper Phthalocyanine Thin Films,” K. Manandhar, K. T. Park, T. Ellis, Z. Song, T. Cai, and J. Hrbek, Surf. Sci. 601, 3623 (2007).

“Surface Reconstructions of TiO₂(110) Driven by Sub-Oxides,” K. T. Park, M. Pan, V. Meunier, and E. W. Plummer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 226105 (2006).

Courses Taught

PHY 1408 - General Physics for Natural and Behavioral Sciences
PHY 1409 - General Physics for Natural and Behavioral Sciences II
PHY 1420 - General Physics I
PHY 4372 - Introduction to Solid State Physics
PHY 5180 - Graduate Physics Colloquium
PHY 5340 - Statistical Mechanics
PHY 5360 - Mathematical Physics I
PHY 5361 - Mathematical Physics II

PHY 5381 - Special Topics in Physics: Introduction to Density Functional Theory

PHY 5381 - Special Topics in Physics: Symmetry, Group Theory, and Tensor
PHY 5372 - Solid State Physics
PHY 5V95 - Graduate Research
PHY 5V99 - Thesis
PHY 6V99 - Dissertation

Current Graduate Students

Jared Pohlmann, Manjula Raman, Anjy-Joe Olatubosun

Former Ph.D Students(Degree Year, Last Known Affiliation)

Ke "Zack" Zhu (Ph.D. 2016, SPECS Surface Nano Analysis GmbH)
Nan-Hsin "Nancy" Yu (Ph.D. 2012, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan)
Kedar Manandhar (Ph.D. 2007, U. of Wyoming, WY)
Aroshan Jayasinghe (M.S. 2006, Vanderbilt U., TN)
Trinity Ellis (Ph.D. 2005, Intel Inc. at Hillsboro, OR)
Jie (Jay) Kong (Ph.D. 2000, CASPER, Baylor U.)

Recent External Grants and Contracts

"Role of sub-stoichiometric defects in the formation of nanoparticles," Kenneth T. Park, Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, user access to Scanning Tunneling Microscopy facility; December, 2006 till December, 2007

"Heteroepitaxial Thin Films of Organic Molecules Studied by Angle-Resolved Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy," Kenneth T. Park, Brookhaven National Laboratory - National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), Proposal # 4785, 28 days of beam time; May 1, 2002 till April 30, 2004

ACS-PRF Summer Research Fellowship, Kenneth T. Park; a Supplementary Grant to PRF# 36245-G5; June 1, 2002 till August 2, 2002

Experimental and Theoretical Study of Electron Donor-Acceptor Surface Complexes;, Kenneth T. Park, American Chemical Society, Petroleum Research Fund, PRF# 36245-G5; September 1, 2001 till August 31, 2004