Program and Schedule

Mark C. Hersam is the Walter P. Murphy Professor and Chair of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University and Director of the Materials Research Center. He earned his B.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and an M.Phil. in Physics from University of Cambridge. His research spans nanoelectronic materials, additive manufacturing, scanning probe microscopy, renewable energy, sensors, neuromorphic computing, and quantum information science. His honors include the TMS John Bardeen Award, MRS Mid-Career Researcher Award, AVS Medard Welch Award, a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, and designation as a U.S. Science Envoy. He has authored over 750 publications (~87,000 citations), holds more than 170 patents, and has been repeatedly named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Inventors, and serves as Executive Editor of ACS Nano.

Vicki H. Grassian is a Distinguished Professor and the John Dove Isaacs Endowed Chair in Natural Philosophy for Physical Sciences in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, San Diego, where she also serves as Associate Dean for Research in the School of Physical Sciences. Her research focuses on the chemistry and impacts of environmental interfaces, employing advanced surface science and spectroscopic techniques to probe complex interfacial processes. Professor Grassian has received numerous honors, including the 2024 Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award, the 2021 American Chemical Society National Award in Surface Chemistry, the 2020 Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization Award, the 2019 IUPAC Distinguished Woman in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Award, and the 2018 American Institute of Chemists Chemical Pioneer Award. She is a Fellow of multiple scientific societies and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020.