David Patrick , PhD

Dean of the Graduate School & Vice Provost for Research

About

Dr. David L. Patrick is Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Research at Western Washington University. He joined Western in 1996 as a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry. Prior to Western, he earned a doctorate in Physical Chemistry from the University of Utah under Prof. Thomas P. Beebe, Jr. where he researched liquid crystal films with scanning tunneling microscopy. He then held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge under Dr. Ruth M. Lynden-Bell, where he used molecular dynamics simulation to study structure and forces in confined fluids at interfaces. His research at Western combines theory and experiment to study crystallization in molecular thin films and organized nanomaterials for solar energy.  Patrick has been a visiting faculty researcher at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, and the Institutes for Materials Science in Barcelona and Seville.

Research Interests

Patrick specializes in surface and materials chemistry, and ordered molecular systems.  His research includes solar energy concentration and conversion, crystallization and growth mechanisms in organic semiconductors, and liquid crystal solvents. 

Educational & Professional Experience

  • Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Research, present.
  • Director, Scientific Technical Services, 2017 - 2020.
  • Visiting Scientist, Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona, Spain, 2018
  • Visiting Scientist, Institute of Materials Science of Sevilla, Spain, 2017.
  • Director, Advanced Mater. Sci. & Engin. Center, 2007 - 10, 2016 - 17.
  • Affiliate Faculty, Institute for Energy Studies, 2014 -
  • Visiting Fellow, Cambridge University, 2010 - 2011.
  • Visiting Fellow, Oxford University, 2002 - 2003.
  • Professor, 2005 -
  • Associate Professor, 2001 - 2005.
  • Assistant Professor, 1996 - 2001.
  • NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, Cambridge University, 1995 - 1996.
  • Ph.D. University of Utah, 1995.
  • B.S. Chemistry, University of California at Davis, 1990.

Selected Awards & Honors

  • Arlan Norman Award for Excellence in Student Mentoring, WWU (2015)
  • Carl H. Simpson Bridging Award, WWU (2015)
  • Paul J. Olscamp Research Award, WWU (2005)
  • Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2001)
  • US Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2000)
  • U.S. Presidential Scholars Program Teacher Recognition (2000)
  • Research Corporation for Science Advancement Cottrell Scholar (CS1997)
  • National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow (1995)
  • Cheves T. Walling Graduate Research Award, Univ. of Utah (1995)
  • American Vacuum Society Graduate Student Award (1994)

Recent Publications

"Quantum Dot-Block Copolymer Hybrids for Low Scattering Luminescent Solar Concentrators", Kayla Koch, Daniel Korus, Justin Doyle, Megan Plummer, Meredith Boxx, Hla Win-Piazza, Stephen McDowall, David L. Patrick, David Rider,  ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 2022, 4, 3283. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.1c01837

“Consensus Statement: Standardized Reporting of Power-Producing Luminescent Solar Concentrator Performance”, Chenchen Yang, Harray A. Atwater, Marc A. Baldo, ... Stephen R. Forrest, and Richard R. Lunt (64 co-authors).  Joule 2022, 6, 8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2021.12.004

“Bottom-Up Growth of Shape-Engineered Molecular Single-Crystals”, Griffin Reed, Matthew Littleton, Haley Doran, Kimberly Keay, Grace Hughes, and David L. Patrick. J. Cryst. Gr. Design 2020, 20, 5043. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.0c00194

"Multi-Scale Modeling of Early-Stage Morphology in Solution-Processed Polycrystalline Thin Films”, David L. Patrick, Cyrus Schaaf#, Robell Morehouse#, and Brad L. Johnson, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2019, 21, 9538. https://doi.org/10.1039/C9CP01238A

"Predictive modeling of nanoscale domain morphology in solution-processed organic thin films”, Ryan Sumner, Steven Eiselt, Cyrus Schaaf, Michael Jenkins, Robell Morehouse, Dane Stanfield, Stephen McDowall, Brad L. Johnson, David L. Patrick, Phys. Rev. Mater. 2017, 1, 043404. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.1.043404

"Analysis of Optical Losses in High-Efficiency CuInS2-Based Nanocrystal Luminescent Solar Concentrators: Balancing Absorption versus Scattering”, Ryan Sumner, Steven Eiselt, Troy B. Kilburn, Christian Erickson, Brian Carlson, Daniel R. Gamelin, Stephen McDowall, David L. Patrick, J. Phys. Chem. C., 2017, 121, 3252-3260. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.6b12379

"High Performance Organic Field-Effect Transistors using Ambient Deposition of Tetracene Single Crystals”, Logan Morrison, Dane Stanfield, Michael Jenkins, Aleksandr Baronov, David L. Patrick, Janelle Leger, Org. Electr. 2016, 33, 269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgel.2016.03.021

"A Simple Model of Burst Nucleation”, Aleksandr Baronov, Kevin Bufkin, Daniel W. Shaw, Brad. L. Johnson, D. L. Patrick, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2015, 17, 20846-20852. https://doi.org/10.1039/C5CP01745A

"Zero-Reabsorption Doped-Nanocrystal Luminescent Solar Concentrators”, Christian S. Erickson, Liam R. Bradshaw, Stephen McDowall, John D. Gilbertson, Daniel R. Gamelin, David L. Patrick, ACS Nano 2014, 8, 3461. https://doi.org/10.1021/nn406360w

"Structurally Engineered Perylene Dyes for High Efficiency Luminescent Solar Concentrators”, W. E. Benjamin, M. J. Perkins, D. R. Veit, E. Bain, K. Scharnhorst, S. McDowall, David L. Patrick, and John D. Gilbertson, Chem. Mater. 2014. 26, 1291.  https://doi.org/10.1021/cm403286v