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Article | Argonne National Laboratory

Argonne nanoscientist honored as fellow of the American Physical Society

Gary Wiederrecht, a group leader and senior nanoscientist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory, has been elected a fellow of the American Physical Society.

The society, which represents over 51,000 physicists from around the world, awards fellowship to researchers who have made exceptional contributions to the physics enterprise.”

Wiederrecht was nominated by his peers for his pioneering contributions to the physics and spectroscopy of semiconductor, molecular and metal nanostructures, including the observations of hybrid molecular-plasmon excitations and novel ultra-fast phenomena, according to the society.

I feel very honored to be a fellow of the American Physical Society,” Wiederrecht said. I am also very grateful for the many opportunities that Argonne and the Department of Energy have provided that allowed me to do the research that formed the foundation of this fellowship.”

Wiederrecht, whose research interests involve the study of nanostructures, solar energy, quantum optics and sensing, has received numerous awards throughout his career, including an R&D 100 award and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

Since his graduate work in the early 1990s, Gary has carried out many exciting experimental studies involving how light, particularly extremely fast pulses of laser light, can interact with molecular and nanoscale materials,” said Argonne theoretical nanoscientist Stephen Gray, who is also an American Physical Society fellow. Having worked on numerous projects with Gary, I would say that the most remarkable thing about him is that not only is he a wizard in the laboratory, but that he can conceptualize the nature of a given problem and come up with intuitively appealing and creative ideas to both explain and further advance any project.”

Gary is very deserving of this honor because not only is he a successful researcher; he is also an excellent collaborator,” added Ohio University physicist Alexander Govorov. He plays an active and important role within the physics community and has made valuable contributions to studies relating to the spectroscopy of nanostructures.”

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation’s first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America’s scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit the Office of Science website.