Evan LernerChristopher Murray Elected to National Academy Of Engineering
Christopher Murray, Richard Perry University Professor and Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) “for invention and development of solvothermal synthesis of monodisperse nanocrystal quantum dots for displays, photovoltaics and memory”
Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature,” and to the “pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”
As a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor with appointments in Penn Arts & Sciences’ Department of Chemistry and Penn Engineering’s Materials Science and Engineering, Murray bridges boundaries between the two disciplines. He researches the synthesis characterization and integration of nanostructured materials, with an emphasis on the exploration of finite size effects in nanoscale magnets and semiconductors. His contributions include the development of nanocrystalline materials, the creation of “artificial atoms” — nanocrystals or quantum dots — that self assemble into devices with completely new multi-functionalities. Murray is also exploring self-organizing phenomena for applications in information processing, communication, and storage.