Three Penn researchers have been awarded prizes by the American Physical Society (APS), and three others were elected to its 2018 APS Fellowship class. The recipients of the APS prizes are Zahra Fakhraai, Marsha I. Lester, and Abraham Nitzan. Newly elected as APS Fellows are John Crocker, Chinedum Osuji, and Shu Yang.
One of the largest scholarly societies and journal publishers in physics, APS annually honors members of the scientific community in the United States and abroad who are making lasting contributions in physics and its subfields and specialties.
Zahra Fakhraai received the APS John H. Dillon Medal for outstanding accomplishment and unusual promise in research in polymer physics. APS recognized Fakhraai for her "exceptional investigations of surface effects in polymer glasses and amyloid aggregation."
Marsha Lester received the APS Herbert P. Broida Prize in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the field of chemical physics. Lester received the honor for her work in “the development of innovative methods for generating and characterizing reactive intermediates using sophisticated laser techniques that elucidate important reaction pathways in atmospheric and combustion chemistry."
The APS Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy & Dynamics was received by Abraham Nitzan. Nitzan was recognized by APS for his notable contributions to molecular spectroscopy and dynamics and for his “deep physical insights in the fields of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and molecular electronics."
APS annually recognizes a small percentage of its membership as APS Fellows for excelling in their specialties. This year’s Fellows from Penn, include John Crocker, “for contributions to the microrheology of soft matter and cells and to DNA-directed colloidal self-assembly.”
Chinedum Osuji was recognized as a Fellow for his “insightful determination of the structure and functional properties of soft materials and especially the self-assembly and processing of polymers by the novel application of external fields such as chemical surface forces, magnetic fields, and periodic pressure gradients.”
Shu Yang’s election was acknowledged for her “contributions to the geometric design and controlled assembly of soft matter.” Yang’s lab develops new methodologies for the controlled synthesis, fabrication, and characterization of materials with specific and unique structures and functionalities inspired by biology.
John Crocker is professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Zahra Fakhraai is the graduate chair and an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.
Marsha Lester is the Edmund J. Kahn Distinguished Professor in Chemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.
Chinedum Osuji is the Eduardo D. Glandt Presidential Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Abraham Nitzan is the Donner Professor of Physical Sciences and Professor of Chemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.
Shu Yang is a professor of materials science and engineering and chemical and biomolecular engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
