Abstract A method was recently proposed for passive vibration absorption in hard-disk drives during transient events such as the coming into proximity of the rotating disk within the context of thermal fly-height control nanotechnology or external shock. The method uses a nonlinear energy sink at the center of mass of the slider that can absorb energy over a wide range of excitation frequencies. Its feasibility and performance are investigated through a 4-degree-of-freedom dynamic model of the head-disk interface used to predict head-disk clearance and vibrations. This seminar will introduce the modeling of dynamic nanoscale contact at the head-disk interface within the context of improving flyability for extremely high density recording. The complexities of the system, such as contact with a molecularly thin lubricant layer, will be discussed and preliminary results of passive vibration absorption using a nonlinear energy sink will be presented. These serve as proof-of-concept for the application of nonlinear energy sinks in magnetic storage. About the Speaker Antonis I. Vakis earned his PhD degree from the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011, working on nanoscale interface mechanics with application to magnetic storage under the supervision of Prof. Andreas A. Polycarpou. His work was partially supported by a Young Researchers of Cyprus Grant (FP7 of the European Commission). Through this grant he currently holds the position of Researcher at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Cyprus. He earned his MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois in 2008 working on the biomechanical modeling of trap-jaw ant mandible strikes, and his BSc degree (Summa Cum Laude) in Mechanical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He received the Diploma of Technician Engineer in Mechanical Engineering from the Higher Technical Institute in Cyprus, and served as a second-lieutenant in the Cyprus National Guard Signals Corps. Dr. Vakis has been a Teaching Fellow (Mechanical Science and Engineering Alumni Association Teaching Fellow Award) at the University of Illinois, where he taught a junior-level undergraduate class as an instructor, and a CASP (Cyprus-America Scholarship Program) Fulbright scholar during his BS studies at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.