Majed Chergui wins the 2015 Earle K. Plyler Prize of the APS

The Prize has been awarded by the Chemical Physics Division of the APS every year since 1976 to scientists making notable contributions to the field of molecular spectroscopy and dynamics. It is named after physicist Earle Keith Plyler (1897–1976) who pioneered infrared molecular spectroscopy.

With the Earle K. Plyler Prize, Majed Chergui is being recognized “for developing new methods and redefining the boundaries of molecular spectroscopy through extending the temporal and spectral range, and for his pioneering work in ultrafast X-Ray spectroscopy for studies in solution and the solid state.” It is of particular importance that the Prize is awarded for the first time ever to a scientist outside North America.

Majed Chergui is Professor of Physics and Chemistry at EPFL, where he pursues a variety of ultrafast UV and X-ray spectroscopic studies on chemical and biological systems, as well as nanosystems. Since 2013, he is Editor-in-chief of the open-access journal Structural Dynamics, launched by the American Institute of Physics and the American Crystallographic Association.

The awards ceremony will take place at the APS March 2015 meeting in San Antonio (Texas). The Prize includes $10,000, a travel allocation and a certificate of his contributions leading to the award. The awardee is also invited to contribute a perspective article to the Journal of Chemical Physics, which sponsors the Prize.