Evan Lerner
Christopher B. Murray, Richard Perry University Professor in Chemistry and in Materials Science and Engineering, has been selected as a Citation Laureate for 2020. The honor is awarded by Clarivate, the analytics company that operates the citation index Web of Science. This distinction goes to researchers whose work has been deemed “Nobel Class” by being among the most highly cited, and thus influential, in their fields.
Citation Laureate candidates are selected from the authors of the .01 percent of studies that have been cited more than 2,000 times. Because the Nobel Prizes in scientific disciplines are awarded to researchers who have exceptionally high impacts on their fields, such citation rates are often good leading indicators of future winners. Since the award’s inception in 2002, 54 Citation Laureates have gone on to receive a Nobel Prize.
Murray is being recognized in the category of Chemistry for his research on the “synthesis of nanocrystals with precise attributes for a wide range of applications in physical, biological, and medical systems.” He is being honored alongside colleagues Moungi G. Bawendi, Lester Wolfe Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Taeghwan Hyeon, SNU Distinguished Professor at Seoul National University.
A Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor with appointments in Penn Engineering and Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences, Murray’s research bridges the boundary between chemistry and materials science, focusing on how the electronic, optic and magnetic properties of nanocrystals and semiconductors relate to their size. His work involves the creation of “artificial atoms,” a suite of nanocrystalline materials that can self-assemble into more complex structures with new functionalities, much like elemental atoms assemble into molecules.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry will be announced on October 7, 2020.