The next deadline for nominations will be in January 12th, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST.
Please submit nominations through https://neutronscattering.org/nominations/.

 

Purpose

To recognize a major scientific accomplishment or important scientific contribution within the last 5 years using neutron scattering techniques. Nominees must be within 12 years of receiving their PhD degree.* Preference shall be given to applicants whose work was carried out predominantly in North America.

Definition

The prize consists of $2,500, a certificate citing the contributions made by the recipient and a travel allowance to attend the corresponding NSSA sponsored American Conference on Neutron Scattering (ACNS) at which the prize is awarded. The recipient will have an invited talk at the corresponding ACNS.

Timing

The NSSA Science Prize is expected to be awarded biennially at the corresponding ACNS meeting.

Prize Selection Committee 2024:

Chair:
Jaime Fernandez-Baca – Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Committee
Ram Seshadri – University of California, Santa Barbara
Alamgir Karim – University of Houston
Pengcheng Dai – Rice University
Claire White – Princeton University

Nominations

Nominations should include:

  • A letter of nomination, not to exceed 1000 words, defining the major scientific accomplishment or important scientific contribution within the last 5 years. The nominee’s CV clearly identifying the published work that relates to the award nomination.
  • Reprints or preprints of the publication(s) that resulted specifically from
    this work.
  • Up to two additional letters of support.

Submit the nomination package in PDF format through https://neutronscattering.org/nominations/.

We strongly encourage nominations of candidates from diverse backgrounds, including those from non- majority races, religions, gender identifications, sexual orientations, ages, disability statuses, and other identifiers.

The award cannot be awarded posthumously.

* The nominee must have earned their PhD on or after the 1st January of the year which is 12 years before that in which the nomination is made. For example, for a nomination in the year 2009, the nominee must have received their PhD on or after 1st January 1997. Unsuccessful nominations can be carried forward one time to the next call for nominations. In this case, to be eligible in the new competition the nomination year is considered to be that of the new nomination and not the original submission date.

Winners

2022: Prof. Martin Mourigal

For significant and insightful use of neutron inelastic scattering in the study
of quantum materials.

2020: Prof. Matthew E. Helgeson

For his development and use of neutron scattering methods with application to non-equilibrium thermodynamics and rheology of complex fluids and soft materials.

2018: Prof. Dmitry Pushin

For the invention and application, in particular to neutron holography, of the five blade, decoherence-free interferometer.

2016: Dr. Yun Liu

For the discovery of dynamic cluster ordering in complex colloidal systems using neutron scattering

2014: Dr. Emil Bozin

For his discovery of broken symmetry local structures in exotic electronic materials, his elaboration of their nature and their importance to the material properties, in particular in PbTe, iridates, manganites, and cuprates

2012: Dr. Guangyong Xu

For his work on relaxor ferroelectrics that have provided new insights into the role of polar nano-regions in determining the extreme electromechanical properties of these materials

2010: Dr. Craig Brown

For outstanding neutron scattering studies of hydrogen-framework interactions in metal-organic frameworks

2008: Prof. Sueng-Hun Lee

For his innovative and insightful neutron scattering studies of frustrated magnetic systems

2006: Dr. Taner Yildirim

For his innovative coupling of first principles theory with neutron scattering to solve critical problems in materials science