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Contacts: Diane Greenberg, (631) 344-2347 or Mona S. Rowe, (631) 344-5056 Chi-Chang Kao Named Chair of the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven LabOctober 10, 2006 Written by Kendra Snyder  Chi-Chang Kao (click image to download hi-res version) UPTON, NY - Chi-Chang Kao, a physicist and leader in synchrotron light research, has been named Chair of the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) Department, effective October 1. Kao had served as interim NSLS Chair since mid-January, after Steve Dierker stepped down to lead the development of the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), a proposed scientific user facility that would produce x-rays more than 10,000 times brighter than the current NSLS. One of the world's most widely used and productive scientific facilities, the NSLS has 175 employees and a user-community of about 2,200 researchers a year from more than 400 universities, laboratories, and companies. Commissioned in 1982, the NSLS has yielded advances in such diverse fields as biology, physics, chemistry, geophysics, medicine, and environmental and materials science. Its annual budget is about $40 million. "Chi-Chang is an internationally recognized scientist with a remarkable talent for bringing people together and growing scientific programs," said Dierker, who is the current Associate Laboratory Director for Light Sources. "I can think of no better choice than Chi-Chang to lead the NSLS forward." As Interim Chair during the past nine months, Kao produced a five-year plan for the future development of the NSLS. With input from the user community, NSLS staff, and Brookhaven researchers, the plan identifies a number of exciting scientific opportunities, improvements needed for better accelerator operation, and upgrades for beamlines, detectors, and infrastructure. As the new NSLS Chair, Kao wants to ensure that these initiatives are implemented. "The next five years will be a very important time for the NSLS, because if NSLS-II gets approval, we will transition into the new light source at the end of that period," Kao said. "We have developed a very aggressive strategic plan that will help keep scientific productivity up and also grow new scientific communities at the NSLS. In particular, we want to grow in a way that will allow us to smoothly transition the user scientific program to the NSLS-II." Additionally, Kao wants to encourage closer interaction between the NSLS, Brookhaven's research departments, industry, and universities, as well as emphasize research related to nanoscience and energy. "There are many ways that synchrotron research can make significant contributions to solve the energy problems the world is facing today," Kao said. "Using light, we can study and make advances in the fields of catalysis, energy storage, fuel cells, and solar energy." Kao earned a B.S. degree in chemical engineering in 1980 from National Taiwan University and a Ph.D in chemical engineering from Cornell University in 1988. Shortly after, he joined BNL as a postdoctoral research assistant at the NSLS. His research focuses on the development of new experimental techniques using synchrotron radiation, and their applications to condensed matter physics and material sciences. He received tenure as a Brookhaven physicist in 1997 and served as the NSLS high-energy program coordinator from 1998 to 2001. He was promoted to senior physicist in 2001 and was named NSLS Deputy Chairman in 2005. Kao also is the Associate Chairman for User Science and an adjunct professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University. He is a member of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Number: 06-111 | BNL Media & Communications Office |
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