Dr. Pierre Carrier is currently working at the University of Erlangen in Germany. He received his B.Sc. degree in mathematics in 1991 at the Université de Montréal. He then obtained his M.Sc.A. degree in applied mathematics at the École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1993, where he worked on a finite-element code for solving the non-linear Navier-Stokes equations of viscous flows (Carreau-Yasuda rheological viscous fluids). He then joined the Centre de mise en forme des matériaux, a division of the "École des Mines de Paris" in Sophia-Antipolis (France), where he worked on the design and fabrication of an experimental apparatus in order to observe in situ the interface flow between two coextruded polymers. An optical double refraction (birefringence) experimental set up was used to obtain a clear signature of the fluids interface strain, in complete accordance with his finite-element calculations. He obtained from this Institution a "Diplôme d'études approfondies" (D.E.A.) in physics and materials engineering, in 1994. Then, he worked for three years at the Université de Montréal on the "center manifold" problem applied to the non-linear Navier-Stokes equations, numerically solved using the spectral method. He finally completed his bifurcation from applied mathematics towards physics by joining the Group of Numerical Physics, the GROFNUM, at the department of physics of the Université de Montréal, in 1997, under the supervision of Laurent J. Lewis and M. W. Chandre Dharma-wardana. He used the linear-augmented-plane-wave (LAPW) and the projector-augmented-waves (PAW) approaches to solve the Kohn-Sham equations, deduced from the density-functional theory (DFT), in order to demonstrated the one-to-one relation between the enhancement of the luminescence in crystalline-Si/SiO₂ quantum wells and the quantum confinement effect. He is now specialized in the calculation of optical properties of semiconductors and insulators, deduced from first-principles calculations. He obtained his Ph.D. in physics in 2002. He has also been involved during the last years in several projects of integration of micro-wind turbines and PV solar cells.

His current research interests are:

1. Defect properties in dilute GaN_xAs_1-x alloys;
2. Optical polarization and defect properties in Al_xGa_1-xN alloys;
3. Optical properties of semimetals.

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