Prof. Pallab Bhattacharya, Charles M. Vest Distinguished University Professor and James R. Mellor Professor of Engineering, is the co-winner (with Prof. Mark Reed of Yale University) of the first IEEE Nanotechnology Council (NTC) Pioneer Award in Nanotechnology. This award was created to recognize individuals who have had a significant impact on the field of nanotechnology.

Prof. Bhattacharya has worked in the field of nanotechnology for close to three decades, and has been instrumental in establishing The University of Michigan as a premier institution in optoelectronics research. He has made fundamental contributions in the area of compound semiconductor materials, and uses this knowledge to build novel and state-of-the-art optoelectronic and electronic devices. Read more about his research in a recent article of the EECS News (FW 2005, pp. 11-13).

In addition to writing the textbook, Semiconductor Optoelectronic Devices, he has written 450 journal publications, and given more than 75 invited and plenary talks and 100 seminars all over the world. He has received the IEEE Paul Rappaport Award (1999), the 2000 SPIE Technology Achievement Award, the 2000 IEEE (LEOS) Engineering Achievement Award, the Nicholas Holonyak, Jr. Award (2002), and the International Quantum Devices Award (2003).

The award will be presented in August at the IEEE-NANO 2007 banquet in Hong Kong.