Physics Professor Awarded Fellowship for Nanotech Research

Physics professor Amir Yacoby was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on Nov. 24. The AAAS, which claims to be the world’s largest general scientific society, awards the fellowship for “meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications.”

Yacoby’s research is primarily focused on how particles behave at a nanoscale.

“One of my prime interests is to understand the properties of materials at this very small scale,” he said.

Adding that he hopes to apply his research to quantum mechanics and technology, Yacoby cited an experiment he conducted regarding magnetic resonance imaging. Yacoby and his team were able to detect magnetic fields at a range of nanometers, as opposed to the millimeter range of the MRI machines traditionally found in hospitals.

As for his fellowship, Yacoby said that he was flattered by the honor, and that he plans to continue work on his current projects.

“The nice thing about being an academic is that research directions are driven by your passions,” he said.

He added that he hopes the nomination will increase the visibility of his research.

“Funding agencies are looking to hear from the researchers, ‘What’s the next big thing?’ and where their funding should go,” he said.

Fellows are nominated in the spring of every year. They are then subject to review by what the AAAS calls steering groups. Each steering group reviews only nominees in their own section, which, in Yacoby’s case, was the physics section. Finally, the AAAS Council votes on the final nominees in the fall, and releases its decisions in late November.

Yacoby and 400 other scientists will formally receive the award next February at the annual meeting of the AAAS.

—Staff writer Andrés M. López-Garrido can be reached at alopezgarrido@college.harvard.edu.