News – STROBE

Congratulations to Ke Xu for Receiving the Miller Professorship in 2026

Congratulations to Ke Xu for receiving the 2026 Miller Professorship! The Miller Institute is an interdisciplinary hub at UC Berkeley, bringing together researchers from all areas of STEM, including postdoctoral fellows, UC Berkeley faculty, visiting faculty and senior faculty. The Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science at UC Berkeley offers four primary programs designed to support scientists at various stages of their careers. Through our weekly lunch series, professional development workshops, special events, and our annual symposium, the Miller Institute’s goal is to provide a space for our members to share research across different scientific disciplines.

Congratulations to Markus Raschke for Receiving the Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award from Institute for Materials Science, Los Alamos National Laboratory

Markus Raschke received the 2026 IMS Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award from Los Alamos National Laboratory. This program supports the visit of a faculty member to spend 8 to 12 weeks at Los Alamos National Laboratory together with some of their students. The goal of this program is to enhance Laboratory collaborations that will generate new initiatives within Materials Science at the Lab, will create additional pipelines for the Laboratory workforce, and will enhance the Lab’s reputation in the international Materials Science communities. Congratulations, Markus!

Congratulations to Sally Thompson for Being Named Scholar of the Year at Fort Lewis College

Congratulations to Sally Thompson, an undergraduate student at Fort Lewis College, for receiving Scholar of the Year Award for her research in the Physics Department.

Congratulations to Kwabena Bediako for Receiving the 2025 Buck-Whitney Award

ENY ACS recognized Dr. Kwabena Bediako with the 2025 Buck-Whitney Award. Dr. Bediako’s work in magnetic solids offers promising solutions to accelerating energy demand by electronic and computing systems.

This award was established by the Eastern New York ACS section executive committee in 1976. The name of the award, Buck-Whitney, was chosen to recognize two of the most eminent research directors in the section. The purpose of the award is to recognize excellent original contributions to pure and applied chemistry. The recipient is preferably someone who has not yet achieved national recognition as evidenced by a national award from the ACS. The recipient is expected to deliver an address before the meeting at which the award is made.

Congratulations to Margaret Murnane for Being Named Optica Honorary Member

WASHINGTON — Optica, Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, has named Margaret M. Murnane an Optica Honorary Member, the most distinguished of all Optica Member categories. Murnane is recognized for pioneering advances in ultrafast laser technology and XUV science, as well as exceptional service to the optics community through sustained mentorship and leadership. She is currently a Distinguished Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, USA.

“Margaret is a global leader in ultrafast, high-intensity laser research, but her impact extends far beyond the lab through her mentorship, volunteerism and innovative work with KMLabs,” said Gisele Bennett, Optica’s 2026 President. “It is with great pleasure that I welcome her into the esteemed group of Optica Honorary Members.”

Congratulations to Benjamin Hammel for Receiving the Outstanding Graduate Award from the CU Boulder Materials Science and Engineering Program

Benjamin Hammel was recognized with the “Outstanding Graduate Award” and served as the Graduation Speaker for the Materials Science and Engineering Program’s Graduation Ceremony at the University of Colorado Boulder on Saturday, May 2, 2026. Benjamin was recognized for “outstanding research” and “all around contributions” to the Materials Science and Engineering community. Congratulations, Benjamin!

Congratulations to Leo Illing for Receiving an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and strength of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. Since 1952, the program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, including STEM education. NSF GRFP was established to recruit and support individuals who demonstrate the potential to make significant contributions in STEM, including STEM education. NSF encourages applications from the full spectrum of talent that the U.S. has to offer.

Atomic Musical Chairs: How Tiny Nanocrystals Are Informing the Future of Energy-Efficient Electronics

While most people, when asked about energy innovation, think about some of the “large” technologies, such as wind turbines, long transmission lines, or massive power plants, some of the most important advances in how we use energy are happening at a scale so small that millions of the “machines” involved could fit on the head of a pin.

New research from a team led by RASEI Fellow Gordana Dukovic, working in collaboration with RASEI Fellow Sadegh Yazdi and Prof. Dmitri Talapin from the University of Chicago, reveals new insights on a high-speed game of “atomic musical chairs.” This collaboration involved two large teams working together. Researchers from two United States National Science Foundation Science and Technology Centers (STCs) including IMOD and STROBE, employed cutting-edge microscopy techniques to directly visualize, for the first time at this scale, how atoms swap places inside tiny semiconductor nanocrystals, which is a crucial step toward understanding the composition, and ultimately the properties, of these materials.

Congratulations to Anya Grafov for Receiving the 2025 Women in STEM Award from the Zonta Foundation

Anya Grafov, a graduate student in the Kapteyn-Murnane research group at JILA, has received the 2025 Women in STEM Scholarship Award from the Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County Foundation. The Zonta Women in STEM Award uplifts innovation and celebrates the remarkable accomplishments of women between 18-35 years of age in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields and acknowledge their groundbreaking research, pioneering discoveries, and/or exemplary contributions to advancing knowledge and innovation in a STEM field. By recognizing and supporting these exceptional women, Zonta aims to inspire future generations and foster inclusivity and diversity in the world of STEM. Congratulations, Anya!

3D, atom-by-atom maps of disordered materials

Researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA published a step-by-step framework for determining the three-dimensional positions and elemental identities of atoms in amorphous materials. These solids, such as glass, lack the repeating atomic patterns seen in a crystal. The team analyzed realistically simulated electron-microscope data and tested how each step affected accuracy. The team used algorithms to analyze rigorously simulated imaging data of nanoparticles — so small they’re measured in billionths of a meter. For amorphous silica, the primary component of glass, they demonstrated 100% accuracy in mapping the three-dimensional positions of the constituent silicon and oxygen atoms, with precision about seven trillionths of a meter under favorable imaging conditions.