Anubhav Jain presented on using density functional theory and high-throughput calculations to design advanced materials for energy applications. Key points included:
1) Density functional theory can be used to model materials physics and properties by approximating many-body quantum mechanics.
2) Thermoelectric materials were discussed as an example application, where the goal is to optimize the figure of merit which depends on conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity.
3) High-throughput calculations were performed on over 50,000 materials to efficiently screen for promising thermoelectric candidates like TmAgTe2, though experimental validation is still needed due to approximations.