Margaret Murnane, a Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder, has been selected as a recipient of the 2022 Institute of Physics Isaac Newton Medal and Prize. This prestigious award honors the legacy of the famous physicist Sir Isaac Newton, by commending those who have made world-leading contributions in the field of physics.
Dr. Murnane received the award for pioneering and sustained contributions to the development of ultrafast lasers and coherent X-ray sources and the use of such sources to understand the quantum nature of materials.
In 2000, Dr. Murname was named a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellow. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 and two years later she was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2021, she was awarded the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics, which she shared with her husband and fellow researcher Henry Kapteyn.
“l am surprised, humble and grateful at the news,” said Dr. Murnane. “Through physics, I have made so many wonderful friends, met my life partner, and worked with amazing students and collaborators from all over the world.”
Dr. Murname earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics from University College Cork in Ireland. She then moved to the United States to earn a Ph.D. at the University of California in Berkeley.