Paul Alivisatos
Encyclopedia
Armand Paul Alivisatos is an American scientist of Greek descent, researching the structural, thermodynamic, optical, and electrical properties of nanocrystals. In 2009, he was named the Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
.
Alivisatos graduated with a bachelors in chemistry from the University of Chicago
in 1981, and with a doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1986, where he worked under Charles Harris
.
In 1986 he joined AT&T
Bell Labs
working with Louis E. Brus
, and began research in the field of nanotechnology
. He returned to Berkeley in 1988 as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry, becoming associate Professor in 1993 and Professor in 1995. He was Chancellor's Professor for 1998-2001.
In January 2003 he was appointed director of the Materials Sciences Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
. He is also director of LBNL's Molecular Foundry
. Alivisatos was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 2004.
He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and is a co-editor of the scientific journal Nano Letters.
He has served as a member of the Defense Sciences Study Group, and on panels of the Defense Science Board. As of 2000, he was a member of the Department of Energy Council on Materials Sciences.
"Paul Alivisatos has been a world leader in the synthesis of artificial nanostructures and quantum dot technology, and one of the principal scientific drivers behind the use of nanoscience technologies to create a new generation of solar photovoltaic cells," Steve Chu said when he named Alivisatos as Berkeley Lab’s deputy director in 2008. He is the director of the Laboratory from 2009-present. He has been ranked 5th in the list of the 100 top chemists of the past decade released by Thomson-Reuters.
on November 12, 1959. He lived there until the age of 10, when his family moved to Athens
, Greece
, where he would remain through high school. Alivisatos has said of his years in Greece that it was a great experience for him because he had to learn the Greek language
and culture then catch up with the more advanced students. "When I found something very interesting it was sometimes a struggle for me to understand it the very best that I could," he has said of that experience. "That need to work harder became an important motivator for me." Alivisatos returned to the United States
to attend the University of Chicago
in the late seventies.
SCIENCE Vol 292 p2060 2001
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting unclassified scientific research. It is located on the grounds of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Berkeley Hills above the central campus...
.
Alivisatos graduated with a bachelors in chemistry from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1981, and with a doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1986, where he worked under Charles Harris
Charles Harris
----Charles Harris was an outstanding American tennis player in the 1930s.Harris reached the singles final at the Cincinnati Masters in 1936 before falling to future Hall of Famer Bobby Riggs, 6–1, 6–3, 6–1....
.
In 1986 he joined AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
Bell Labs
Bell Labs
Bell Laboratories is the research and development subsidiary of the French-owned Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company , half-owned through its Western Electric manufacturing subsidiary.Bell Laboratories operates its...
working with Louis E. Brus
Louis E. Brus
Louis E. Brus is a professor of chemistry at Columbia University. He is the discoverer of the colloidal semi-conductor nanocrystals known as quantum dots. He is co-recipient of the 2006 R. W. Wood prize of the Optical Society of America and of the inaugural Kavli Prize for nanoscience in 2008...
, and began research in the field of nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
. He returned to Berkeley in 1988 as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry, becoming associate Professor in 1993 and Professor in 1995. He was Chancellor's Professor for 1998-2001.
In January 2003 he was appointed director of the Materials Sciences Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting unclassified scientific research. It is located on the grounds of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Berkeley Hills above the central campus...
. He is also director of LBNL's Molecular Foundry
Molecular Foundry
- The Molecular Foundry : is a nanoscience user facility located at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, and is one of five nanoscale science research centers sponsored by the United States Department of Energy...
. Alivisatos was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 2004.
He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and is a co-editor of the scientific journal Nano Letters.
He has served as a member of the Defense Sciences Study Group, and on panels of the Defense Science Board. As of 2000, he was a member of the Department of Energy Council on Materials Sciences.
"Paul Alivisatos has been a world leader in the synthesis of artificial nanostructures and quantum dot technology, and one of the principal scientific drivers behind the use of nanoscience technologies to create a new generation of solar photovoltaic cells," Steve Chu said when he named Alivisatos as Berkeley Lab’s deputy director in 2008. He is the director of the Laboratory from 2009-present. He has been ranked 5th in the list of the 100 top chemists of the past decade released by Thomson-Reuters.
Early Life
A. Paul Alivisatos was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
on November 12, 1959. He lived there until the age of 10, when his family moved to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, where he would remain through high school. Alivisatos has said of his years in Greece that it was a great experience for him because he had to learn the Greek language
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and culture then catch up with the more advanced students. "When I found something very interesting it was sometimes a struggle for me to understand it the very best that I could," he has said of that experience. "That need to work harder became an important motivator for me." Alivisatos returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to attend the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in the late seventies.
Awards
- Presidential Young Investigator AwardPresidential Young Investigator AwardThe Presidential Young Investigator Award was awarded by the National Science Foundation. The program operated from 1984 to 1991, and was replaced by the NSF Young Investigator Awards and Presidential Faculty Fellows Program...
- Alfred P. SloanAlfred P. SloanAlfred Pritchard Sloan, Jr. was an American business executive in the automotive industry. He was a long-time president, chairman, and CEO of General Motors Corporation...
Foundation fellowship - ACS Exxon Solid State Chemistry Fellowship
- Coblentz Award (1994)
- Wilson Prize at HarvardHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
- Department of EnergyUnited States Department of EnergyThe United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
Award for Outstanding Scientific Accomplishment in Materials Chemistry (1994) - Materials Research Society Outstanding Young Investigator Award (1995)
- Department of Energy Award for Sustained Outstanding Research in Materials Chemistry (1997)
Notable Publications
SCIENCE Vol 292 p2060 2001