Director announces newest Laboratory Fellows

Contact: Todd Hanson, tahanson@lanl.gov, (505) 665-2085 (03-116)

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LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Aug. 26, 2003 -- Los Alamos National Laboratory Director G. Peter Nanos has selected seven Los Alamos staff members as Laboratory Fellows, the Laboratory's highest scientific honor. The honor is given yearly to technical staff members who have sustained a high level of excellence in programs important to the Laboratory's mission, made important scientific discoveries that lead to widespread use, or been recognized as leaders in their fields both within and outside of the Laboratory.

"I'm pleased to recognize these distinguished members of our technical staff," said Nanos. "They are representative of the many dedicated men and women working at Los Alamos who serve our nation and the world with technical and scientific excellence."

The seven newest Fellows are Carol J. Burns of the Chemistry Division, R. Brian Dyer of the Bioscience Division, Robert S. Hixson of the Dynamic Experimentation Division, Quanxi Jia of the Materials Science and Technology Division - Superconductivity Technology Center, Nicholas S. P. King of the Physics Division, and Michael M. Nieto and Arthur F. Voter, both from the Theoretical Division.

Burns was made a Fellow for her seminal contributions to transition metal and actinide coordination and organometallic chemistry. Burns has a number of "firsts" which have resulted in her international reputation, including the preparation and characterization of the first uranium (VI) monoxo compounds and first reactive uranium imido complexes, and uranium phosphinidenes. The 2003 Fellows Prize recently recognized the importance of this work and its impact on the field of actinide chemistry.

Dyer was named Laboratory Fellow for having attained international recognition in the application of time resolved vibrational spectroscopy to protein folding, the functional dynamics of redox metalloproteins and electron transfer reactions of inorganic model compounds. Dyer's impact on these fields is perhaps most notable in his work on protein folding, where he developed techniques that now allow for the study of early events in protein folding.

Hixson was named for his exceptional basic and applied research in shockwave physics. He has spent the last two and a half decades focusing on experiments to determine the equations of state and constitutive properties of materials under extreme conditions. His work on the shock response of plutonium has been an essential element of stockpile stewardship and he played a leading role in the design and implementation of a gas-gun capability for plutonium at TA-55.

Working in the areas of superconductivity, magnetic materials and thin-films, Quanxi Jia has conducted pioneering research in complex oxide thin film growth and is a recognized leader in the field of electronic device fabrication. Some of his important contributions include the development of high-performance Josephson Junctions in superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDS) and the invention of fabrication methods for multi-layer thin films used to develop novel microwave devices.

King was selected as a Laboratory Fellow for his outstanding and sustained contributions to the Nuclear Weapons Programs at Los Alamos over the past 20 years. He is internationally recognized as the developer of PINEX (Pinhole Imaging Neutron Experiment) that allowed, for the first time, the imaging of nuclear reactions in flight in underground nuclear tests. His work pioneered a series of imaging techniques that have revolutionized measurements in the nuclear weapons program.

During his 31-year career at Los Alamos, Nieto has made significant contributions to several areas of physics including particle physics, quantum mechanics and astrophysics. His work has influenced both theoreticians and experimentalists and is nationally and internationally recognized. In addition to his personal scientific contributions, Nieto has also contributed to the Laboratory by encouraging numerous collaborations and inspiring a league of young scientists.

Voter was named Laboratory Fellow for research on increasing the power and quality of atomistic simulation methods. In particular, his work on methods for accelerating molecular dynamics (hyperdynamics and temperature-accelerated dynamics) have allowed the world to perform materials simulations on much longer time-scales than has previously been possible—time scales at which processes such as metallic surface diffusion, protein or polymer folding and surface growth occur.

Only two percent of the Laboratory's current technical staff members can hold the title of "Fellow" at any one time. Fellows are expected to continue to play an important scientific or technical role in the Laboratory and to contribute in significant ways to Laboratory programs and initiatives. Fellows are often called upon to provide critical analyses of significant issues affecting Laboratory programs and work force, particularly any highly technical issues.

Nominations were submitted to the members of the Laboratory Fellows Screening Committee, which reviewed the nominations and then submitted their recommendations to Director Nanos. The Director then selected the top seven candidates for the honor.

Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of California for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the U.S. Department of Energy and works in partnership with NNSA's Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories to support NNSA in its mission.

Los Alamos enhances global security by ensuring safety and confidence in the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction and improving the environmental and nuclear materials legacy of the cold war. Los Alamos' capabilities assist the nation in addressing energy, environment, infrastructure and biological security problems.

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