Rice University’s Naomi Harris Honored by the American Physical Society

Naomi Halas, the Stanley C. Moore Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University in Houston, Texas, has been chosen as the recipient of the 2018 Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize from the American Physical Society. Professor Halas is being honored for “pioneering research at the intersection of optics and nanoscience, and groundbreaking applications of those findings in the field of plasmonics, and for her exceptional impact communicating the excitement of scientific discoveries and their vital role in improving people’s lives.” The award comes with a $10,000 prize.

Dr. Halas, who is also a professor of chemistry, bioengineering, physics and astronomy, and materials science and engineering at Rice, is the only scholar in the university’s history to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering for research conducted at Rice. Professor Halas has authored more than 300 papers and has been cited more than 45,000 times.

Professor Halas holds bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from LaSalle University in Philadelphia. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania.