Mark C. Hersam is a professor of Chemistry and Materials Science Engineering at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
(2000–present) who, according to the
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
, has made "major breakthrough
[National Science Foundation](_blank)
/ref> in the field of nanotechnology. He is a 2014 recipient of the MacArthur "Genius" Award and a 1996 Marshall Scholar. He is also an Associate Editor of ''ACS Nano''. As of January 2022, he was cited over 54,500 times according to Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text or metadata of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines. Released in beta in November 2004, the Google Scholar index includes ...
.
Education and early academic work
Education
Mark Hersam attended Downers Grove South High School in Downers Grove, IL where he was Valedictorian and an Eagle Scout. He then went on to receive his B.S. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
in 1996. Upon winning the Marshall Scholarship
The Marshall Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for "intellectually distinguished young Americans ndtheir country's future leaders" to study at any university in the United Kingdom. It is widely considered one of the most prestigious sc ...
, Hersam received a M.Phil. in Microelectronic Engineering and Semiconductor Physics from the University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
in 1997. His Ph.D was granted from the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
in 2000.
Early work
While at UIUC, Hersam did research under Professor David Ruzic in the Nuclear Engineering Department and Professor Joseph Lyding in the Electrical Engineering Department.
After graduating from UIUC, Hersam was an intern at the Argonne National Laboratory where he did research in the Energy Technology Division studying the energy-related applications of surface acoustic-wave-based sensing.
While at Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...
, Hersam was advised by Mark Welland
Sir Mark Edward Welland, (born 18 October 1955) is a British physicist who is a professor of nanotechnology at the University of Cambridge and head of the Nanoscience Centre. He has been a fellow of St John's College, Cambridge, since 1986 and ...
and the two co-authored the paper "Potentiometry and repair of electrically stressed nanowires using atomic force microscopy" in the journal of Applied Physics Letters
''Applied Physics Letters'' is a weekly peer-reviewed scientific journal that is published by the American Institute of Physics. Its focus is rapid publication and dissemination of new experimental and theoretical papers regarding applications ...
.
As a doctoral candidate, Hersam again worked with Professor Joseph Lyding at the Beckman Institute where they studied "atomic level manipulation and silicon-based molecular nanotechnology."
Research
As head of the Hersam Group at Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
, Hersam has authored more than 137 peer-reviewed publications studying hybrid hard and soft nanoscale materials for applications in information technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and alternative energy.
Corporate connections and applications
*Co-Founder of NanoIntegris
*Intern at IBM Nanoscience
Honors and achievements
Honors
* Teacher of the Year in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
2003, 2007, 2009, 2010
* Materials Research Society
The Materials Research Society (MRS) is a non-profit, professional organization for materials researchers, scientists and engineers. Established in 1973, MRS is a member-driven organization of approximately 14,000 materials researchers from academi ...
Outstanding Young Investigator Award, 2010
* SES Research Young Investigator Award, Electrochemical Society, 2010
* Senior Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2009
* Young Alumni Achievement Award, ECE Department, UIUC, 2007
* AVS Peter Mark Memorial Award, 2006
* TMS Robert Lansing Hardy Award, 2006
* Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers. The White ...
, 2005
* Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, 2005
* Army Research Office Young Investigator Award, 2005
* Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship
The Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded annually by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation since 1955 to "provide support and recognition to early-career scientists and scholars". This program is one of the oldest of its kind in the United States.
...
,[Northwestern University Bio]
/ref> 2005
* Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
Associated Student Government Faculty Honor Roll,[AVS Profile](_blank)
2004
* National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
CAREER Award, 2002
* Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, Beckman Young Investigators Award
The Beckman Young Investigators Award was established by Mabel and Arnold Beckman in 1991, and is now administered by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. The Beckman Young Investigator (BYI) Program is intended to provide research support to p ...
, 2001
* Gregory Stillman Semiconductor Research Award, 2000
* Graduate Research Award, 1999
Scholarships
* Searle Center for Teaching Excellence Junior Fellow, 2001
* IBM Distinguished Fellowship, 1999
* Koehler Graduate Fellowship, 1998
* National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, 1997
* British Marshall Scholarship, 1996
Professional organizations and societies
* Co-Chair of the NSF International Study of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, 2009-
* AVS Nanometer-scale Science and Technology Division Executive Board Member, 2003-2005, 2007-2009
* Review of Scientific Instruments Editorial Board Member, 2001-2003
* Nanopatterning Synergistic Research Group Leader, Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, 2001-
* Director of the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center Research Experience for Undergraduates, 2001-
* National Science Foundation SBIR, IMR/MRI, MRSEC and NUE Panelist
* Member of IEEE, MRS, AVS, AIP, APS, ACS, TMS, ASEE, AAAS
In 2016, he was selected as a U.S. Science Envoy by the United States State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nat ...
.
Selected works
* 2006 -Sorting carbon nanotubes by electronic structure using density differentiation, MS Arnold, AA Green, JF Hulvat, SI Stupp, MC Hersam, Nature nanotechnology 1 (1), 60-65
* 2014 - Emerging device applications for semiconducting two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides, D Jariwala, VK Sangwan, LJ Lauhon, TJ Marks, MC Hersam, ACS nano 8 (2), 1102-1120
* 2015 - Synthesis of borophenes: Anisotropic, two-dimensional boron polymorphs, AJ Mannix, XF Zhou, B Kiraly, JD Wood, D Alducin, BD Myers, X Liu, Science 350 (6267), 1513-1516
Personal life
Hersam hosts Undergraduate Research Experience opportunity[Northwestern University REU Program](_blank)
/ref> for students each summer.
See also
Notable Carbon Nanotube Scientists:
* Richard Smalley
*Sumio Iijima
is a Japanese physicist and inventor, often cited as the inventor of carbon nanotubes. Although carbon nanotubes had been observed prior to his "invention", Iijima's 1991 paper generated unprecedented interest in the carbon nanostructures and ...
*Phaedon Avouris
Phaedon Avouris ( el, Φαίδων Αβούρης; born 1945) is a Greek chemical physicist and materials scientist. He is an IBM Fellow and was formerly the group leader for Nanometer Scale Science and Technology at the Thomas J. Watson Resear ...
Notable Northwestern University Professors:
* Chad Mirkin
* Tobin J. Marks
References
External links
Hersam Group
at Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hersam, Mark
1975 births
Living people
MacArthur Fellows
American nanotechnologists
People from Downers Grove, Illinois
Grainger College of Engineering alumni
Marshall Scholars
Alumni of the University of Cambridge
Northwestern University faculty