Michael J. Aziz named 2010 MRS Fellow

Michael J. Aziz, Gene and Tracy Sykes Professor of Materials and Energy Technologies in the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), has been named a 2010 Materials Research Society (MRS) Fellow.

Aziz, along with the other MRS Fellows, will be recognized at the 2010 MRS Spring Meeting in San Francisco at a special reception.

The title of MRS Fellow honors those MRS members who are notable for their distinguished research accomplishments and their outstanding contributions to the advancement of materials research, world-wide. The maximum number of new Fellow appointments each year is limited to 0.2% of the current MRS membership.

Aziz earned his B.S. in Applied Physics from the California Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard.

His research focuses on the relationships between materials processing, structure, and properties in a variety of materials. In many instances a central role is played by kinetics: the study of mechanisms and rates of atomic transport and rearrangement.

Applications include microelectronics, optoelectronics, astronomical observation, and energy and climate change mitigation technologies. Ongoing projects include:

• synthesis and properties of novel semiconductors and semiconductor nanostructures with applications in optoelectronics and photovoltaics;
• nanoporous materials produced by electrochemical processes with applications in catalysis and energy technology;
• electrochemical processes and materials for reversible fuel cells and carbon sequestration;and
• nanoscale morphology evolution in ion sputter erosion with applications in novel liquid crystal displays, single biomolecule detectors and the imaging of extra-solar planets.

Long interested in the complex issues related to clean and alternative energy, Aziz teaches ES 231, "Survey of Energy Technology," and is involved with the recently created Graduate Consortium on Energy and Environment.

###

Founded in 1973, MRS now consists of over 15,100 members from the United States -- as well as nearly 70 other countries. The Society is different from that of single discipline professional societies because it encourages communication and technical information exchange across the various fields of science affecting materials.

MRS sponsors two major annual Meetings offering approximately 75 topical symposia. The Society recognizes professional and technical excellence, conducts symposium tutorials, and encourages technical interaction among college students through University Chapters, and among materials professionals through regional Sections.

MRS also promotes communication exchange through publication of symposium proceedings, MRS Bulletin, Journal of Materials Research, and other publications, databases and videotapes related to current research activities. MRS works closely with other materials organizations around the world, and is an Adhering Body of the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS).

MRS is dedicated to excellence and welcomes diversity. Its activities and programs are open to all individuals regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, disability, veteran status, sexual preference or national origin.