Rate My Professor Rezek Estaiteh

His academic interests center on condensed matter physics, with a specialization in computational investigations of structural and electronic properties of materials. Estaiteh employs density functional theory (DFT) frameworks, including full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) methods, to analyze material phases and properties. A prominent publication is his 2011 paper titled 'A comparative study for structural and electronic properties of single-crystal ScN.' In this work, he compared FP-LAPW calculations using LDA, PBE-GGA, EVex-PWco-GGA, and EVex-GGA-LDAco functionals across rock salt (RS), zinc blende (ZB), wurtzite (WZ), and cesium chloride (CsCl) phases of ScN. The RS phase was determined to be the stable ground state, exhibiting a high-pressure transition to CsCl. The EVex functionals produced non-zero positive indirect energy gaps for RS-ScN, aligning closely with experimental observations. Further EVex-PWco-GGA+U self-interaction correction (SIC) calculations refined the indirect band gap to approximately 0.9 eV, enhancing accuracy.

Professor Estaiteh has engaged in various international scientific gatherings, presenting research on DFT applications in materials science. Notable contributions include presentations at the Palestinian Conference on Modern Trends in Mathematics, NanoTR-19 Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Conference, Schladming Winter School on Novel Materials and Superconductors, and the International Forum on Computational Materials Theory. He has also acted as an external examiner for master's theses in physics at An-Najah National University, underscoring his role in regional academic evaluation and mentorship.