Systematic development of coarse-grained polymer models Patrick ...

Acknowledgments
A PhD thesis is both a challenging and rewarding endeavor. A large number of people have helped
and supported me along the way, which I would like to acknowledge. I would first like to thank my
advisor Professor Pat Doyle for all his help and advice. He has helped me with research problems
I encountered, but also helped me to find a better way of presenting my research to others.
As members of my thesis committee, Professors Gareth McKinley and Bob Armstrong have
provided many comments and questions as my research progressed. They have also provided
valuable advice towards my goal of an academic position. I would also like to thank the other
faculty and staff in the Chemical Engineering department that have helped me.
The members of the Doyle group have provided me a lot of academic support, particularly from
Ramin Haghgooie and Thierry Savin who came to MIT and joined the Doyle group at the same
time as I did. Ramin and I often compared approaches to Brownian dynamics simulations, and
he answered countless questions of mine about every aspect of my research. Thierry also offered
much advice about my research and particularly helped me with ways of presenting my results
more clearly. Greg Randall and Anthony Balducci helped me with me brief foray into experiments,
which did not become a part of this thesis. We also had countless discussions about polymer theory.
The Doyle group was also a great atmosphere to do a PhD apart from academics. I would like to
thank all the current and past members of the group. Even without the couch we always wanted in
the office, they provided numerous chances to have a good laugh before returning to work (or while
trying to work). It will not be the same doing research without them. I would also like to thank