January 21, 2010

Chi-Chang Kao Named AAAS Fellow

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has awarded NSLS Department Chair Chi-Chang Kao with the distinction of Fellow. Kao is one of two Brookhaven scientists named this year – along with Physics Department Chair Thomas Ludlam – and will be among 531 AAAS members to receive this honor for their efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished. The new Fellows will be presented with their official certificate and rosette pin on February 20 at the 2010 AAAS annual meeting in San Diego.

Chi-Chang Kao

Kao is recognized for "his many contributions to resonant elastic and inelastic x-ray scattering techniques and to x-ray spectroscopy, their applications to important materials, and his inspired leadership at the NSLS."

Kao's research interests have focused on developing new experimental techniques using synchrotron light at the NSLS, where, each year, about 2,200 scientists from around the world use x-rays, infrared light and ultraviolet light to study materials as diverse as computer chips and viruses. Specifically, Kao has developed x-ray techniques to study superconductors, materials that have no electrical resistance at very low temperatures; magnetic materials for storage devices in computers; and electronic structures of materials under high temperature and high pressure.

As chair of the NSLS, Kao manages a staff of about 170, and he has organized a large community of scientists to address scientific opportunities that he has identified. He also undertook major upgrades to the scientific programs and experimental facilities at the NSLS. In addition, he developed potential science programs for NSLS-II, Brookhaven's new light source that is currently under construction.

"I am honored to receive this distinction from the AAAS," Kao said. "It is a privilege to work with the talented and dedicated staff of the NSLS, and I am looking forward to continuing our productive scientific programs at NSLS-II."

In 1988, Kao earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Cornell University and joined Brookhaven Lab as a postdoctoral research associate. He worked his way up the ranks to become a senior physicist in 2001, and, in that same year, he was named associate chair for user science at the NSLS. In 2005, he was promoted to deputy chair of the NSLS, and in 2006, he became interim chair and then chair. In 2008, he became director of the Joint Photon Sciences Institute at Brookhaven Lab, an interdisciplinary research institute that uses advanced light sources to address challenging problems in science and technology. Kao has been an adjunct professor in the Physics Department at Stony Brook University since 2003.