Congratulations to University of Utah Materials Science and Engineering Distinguished Professor Feng Liu, who has received the Davisson-Germer Prize in Atomic or Surface Physics from the American Physical Society (APS).
The prize, which recognizes outstanding work in atomic physics or surface physics, was given to Liu for “elucidating the influence of strain on epitaxy and nanostructure growth and using these concepts to predict surface-based topological-insulator materials.”
Liu, who is also the Ivan B. Cutler Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, received his Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1990. Since joining the University of Utah in the year 2000, he has developed into one of the world’s leading experts in the fields of surface science and thin films, with a current focus on low-dimensional nano, quantum, and topological materials.
He has published more than 340 research papers that have been cited more than 20,000 times, including more than 2,100 citations in 2021 alone.
Liu has graduated 17 Ph.D. students and nine master’s students and supervised 32 postdoctoral research associates. He received the Senior Humboldt Award in 2008 and was elected a fellow of American Physical Society in 2011. In addition, he was awarded the Distinguished Scholarly & Creative Research Award by University of Utah in 2019. He was named the Ivan B. Cutler Professor of Materials Science and Engineering in May 2021.
He served as Chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering from 2011 to 2019 and the Divisional Associate Editor of Physical Review Letters from 2015 to 2021. He is recognized as Outstanding Referee for Physical Review journals by American Physical Society in 2021. In addition to fundamental research, Liu co-founded two start-up companies, with 10 patents issued or pending.
APS represents more than 50,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry throughout the world. Liu and other recipients of APS awards this year will be recognized during the organization’s 2023 meetings. Click here to see a list of this year’s other APS award recipients.