German Humboldt Award Goes to UCSB Physics Professor Anthony Zee, professor of physics with the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at UCSB has received the Humboldt Research Award, presented by the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation in Germany. In addition to acknowledging his scholarly achievements to date, the foundation has invited Zee to carry out a research project of his choice, in cooperation with colleagues in Germany.
Gross shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics for his seminal contributions to particle physics and string theory. He holds the Gluck Chair in Theoretical Physics at and is director of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at UCSB. Computer Science Professor Receives Fulbright Award Matthew Turk, a professor of computer science and of media arts and technology at UCSB has been awarded a FulbrightNokia Distinguished Chair in Information and Communications Technologies. The Fulbright Distinguished Chair position, which is among the most prestigious appointments in the Fulbright Scholar Program, will enable him to conduct research in Finland in 2011-12. IBM Faculty Award Honors Professor’s Security Research Christopher Kruegel has been honored as one of the recipients of a 2011 IBM Faculty Award for his collaborative research with IBM on the detection, analysis, and mitigation of malicious software. Kruegel is an associate professor of computer science, and a member of the Computer Security Group in the Computer Science department at UCSB, working on topics such as protection from malware, web security, and social network security. UCSB Professor Receives DARPA Young Faculty Award Mechanical engineering professor Rouslan Krechetnikov has been awarded a DARPA Young Faculty Award for a proposal entitled, “Low-dimensional modeling and identification of finite-amplitude instabilities in complex systems.” The objective of the DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA) program is to identify and engage rising research stars in junior faculty positions at U.S. academic institutions and expose them to Department of Defense needs as well as DARPA’s program development process. Professor Awarded Sloan Fellowship in Neuroscience Electrical and computer engineering professor Katherine Byl is among this year’s winners of 2011 Sloan Research Fellowships announced today by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Byl’s research focuses on dynamic systems and control, with particular interest in modeling and control techniques used in bio-inspired robot locomotion and manipulation in real-world environments. Byl has worked on a wide range of research topics in the control of dynamic systems, including magnetic bearing control, flapping-wing microrobotics, and piezoelectric noise cancellation for aircraft.
Professor Receives NIH New Innovator Award Songi Han, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCSB, has been selected to receive a coveted 2011 New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She is one of 49 researchers in the nation to be so honored. Han will receive a $1.5 million grant to expand her research to understand molecular mechanisms of protein aggregation underlying neurodegenerative diseases. ACS Awards Professor Murphee Award in Engineering Chemistry UCSB chemical engineering professor Michael Doherty has received the 2012 E. V. Murphree Award in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry from the American Chemical Society (ACS). Doherty is Chair of the Chemical Engineering department at UCSB. The purpose of the award is to stimulate fundamental research in industrial and engineering chemistry, the development of chemical engineering principles and their application to industrial processes. Honorees receive $5,000 with the award, which is sponsored by the Exxon Mobil Research and Engineering Company. UCSB Professor Receives Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award Bruce H. Lipshutz, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCSB, was awarded the 2011 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in recognition of his pioneering use of nanotechnology. He was one of five award winners and the only winner from academia. The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program recognizes individuals and organizations for successful research, development, and implementation of outstanding green chemical technologies. It promotes innovative chemical technologies that prevent pollution and have broad applicability in industry.
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Professor Awarded Prestigious Prizes in Medical Research James A. “Jamie” Thomson, a UCSB professor and renowned stem cell expert, is one of three scientists who have been named the recipients of the 11th annual Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research. The $500,000 is the largest award in medicine and science in the United States. Thomson was also awarded the 2011 King Faisal International Prize for Medicine. Thomson’s research showed that human skin cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent stem cells with all the properties of embryonic stem cells.
Thomson is a professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; co-director of UCSB’s Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering –– which is part of UCSB’s Neuroscience Research Institute. Emmy Award Goes to Materials Professor Shuji Nakamura The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has named Shuji Nakamura, UCSB professor of materials and of electrical and computer engineering, among the winners of the 63rd Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards. Nakamura, who is also co-director of the UCSB Solid State Lighting and Energy Center, is being recognized for his pioneering development of large-venue, large-screen direct view color displays.