Mgcini Keith Phuthi

Phuthi, M. K.; Yao, A. M.; Batzner, S.; Musaelian, A.; Kozinsky, B.; Cubuk, E. D.; Viswanathan, V. Accurate Surface and Finite Temperature Bulk Properties of Lithium Metal at Large Scales using Machine Learning Interaction Potentials. arXiv.org. https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06925v1 (Accepted at ACS Omega).

Butterworth, J.; Triqueneaux, S.; Midlik, Š.; Golokolenov, I.; Gerardin, A.; Gandit, T.; Donnier-Valentin, G.; Goupy, J.; Phuthi, M. K.; Schmoranzer, D.; Collin, E.; Fefferman, A. Superconducting Aluminum Heat Switch with 3 n Ω Equivalent Resistance. Review of Scientific Instruments 2022, 93 (3), 034901. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0079639.

Leder, A.; Anderson, A. J.; Billard, J.; Figueroa-Feliciano, E.; Formaggio, J. A.; Hasselkus, C.; Newman, E.; K. Palladino; Phuthi, M.; Winslow, L.; Zhang, L. Unfolding Neutron Spectrum with Markov Chain Monte Carlo at MIT Research Reactor with He-3 Neutral Current Detectors. J. Inst. 2018, 13 (02), P02004. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/13/02/P02004.

Active Research Interests:

• Machine Learning for Material Discovery and Accelerating Simulations, particularly ML Interaction Potentials

• Computational Materials Science and methods (DFT, MD, MC) 

• Next-generation Energy and Battery Materials

• Synthesis of Metal Hydrides

Past research projects:

• Building low cost remote controlled muon detectors

• Designing the most sensitive neutrino mass experiment using Indium calorimeters

• Continuous cooling below 1mK using cyclic adiabatic demagnetization and superconducting heat switches

• Using FPGA based Red Pitaya board to build a low cost lock-in amplifier

I am lead organizer and host for the MICDE SciML webinar, formerly hosted as part of an ARPA-E program at Carnegie Mellon University since 2021. The SciML webinar series and panel events are organized with the goal of cross-pollinating ideas between the various emerging methods at the intersection of physics and machine learning. We have talks from speakers, mostly graduate students, on the cutting-edge of Science and Machine Learning who engage on their research in a discussion based session, chaired by leaders in the field. Feel free to see the past talks and reach out if you would like to present in the future.

7/10/2023: Poster Presentation: 5th iCoMSE Workshop: Machine Learning for Molecular Science. Presented on Machine Learning Potentials

3/5/2023: Presenter: American Physical Society March Meeting. Presented on the most accurate ML Interaction Potential for Lithium

8/1/2022: Attendee: IAIFI summer school on the applications of Physics in Machine Learning and Machine Learning in Physics

6/5/2022: Poster Presentation: Gordon Research Conference for Batteries on the development of a Machine Learning Interaction Potential for Lithium.

7/22/2021: Panelist: Practice & Experience in Advanced Research Computing (PEARC). Presented on work implementing Machine Learning Interaction Potentials on the NeoCortex system for the first time

8/3/2020: Attendee: SDSC Summer Institute 2020. Attended workshop on high performance computing

• My data science internship work in Sierra Leone was featured in MIT News.

• My contribution to the design of a Muon detector was featured in Physics Today.

• My work on building Machine Learning models for performing molecular Simulations on the world's most powerful computer chip (Cerebras CS-1) at the time was featured in HPC Wire.

• Carnegie Mellon University: Teaching assistant for "Introduction to Mechanical Engineering" (24-101) for undergrads at CMU for which I won the Best TA depertmental award. I have also been TA for an advanced graduate course in "Advanced Thermodynamics" (24-721)

• Leonard Gelfand Center: Volunteered to teach middle schoolers a variety of topics at CMU. 2022-2023

• MIT Office of Minority Education: Tutored first year students at MIT in Physics. 2017

• ZimCode: Head of Curriculum Design and instructor training for a non-profit school in Bulawayo Zimbabwe including being the main author of an Introduction to Python textbook for the Zimbabwean context. 2016-2020

• Splash: A program for over 2000 high school students in the greater Boston area hosted by MIT Educational Studies Program. Classes taught include "Thermodynamics", "Quantum Mechanics", "How Modern Modern Batteries Work", "Photovoltaics" and many more. 2015-present

• Rainstorm: An online program for high school students hosted by Learning Unlimited. 2020-2021.

• Zimbabwe Science Fair: Mentor winners from the Zimbabwe Science Fair who compete at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. 2023-present