Chemical & Materials Sciences Division
Staff Awards & Honors
January 2011
Liem Dang Named as AAAS Fellow
Congratulations to Dr. Liem X. Dang for being named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dang was named fellow in the Chemistry Section of AAAS for his outstanding efforts to develop and use computer models to study how molecules interact at liquid interfaces. His models specifically focus on the potential for molecules to be polarized, or have slight differences in electric charge, and how that affects molecular behavior at liquid interfaces. Dang and his then-postdoc, Tsun-Mei Chang, developed a widely used and cited chemical model called the Dang-Chang model, which accurately portrays the properties of water-based systems in changing environments. His research helps explain how pollutants react in the atmosphere and how toxic metals are transported across liquid interfaces.
Dang is a member of PNNL's molecular theory research group and a fellow of the American Physical Society. He's also an adjunct professor in chemical engineering at the University of Queensland, Australia, and is on the editorial board for the Journal of Physical Chemistry.
"Since coming to PNNL, Liem has gained national and international recognition in the area of molecular processes at interfaces of liquids," said Dr. Bruce Garrett, Chemical & Materials Sciences Division manager. "He is an acknowledged leader in this challenging field, and well-deserving of this honor."
Dang is one of six scientists from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory who have been named this year's fellows of the AAAS for their exceptional efforts to advance science and apply it to real-world problems. Dang joins a total of 46 PNNL researchers who have been named AAAS fellows.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world. The association will honor its new fellows at its annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in February 2011. The complete list of 2010 AAAS Fellows is available online.
