Four professors elected 2019 fellows of the American Physical Society

Four UCLA professors have been elected 2019 fellows of the American Physical Society in honor of their exceptional contributions to physics research, important applications of physics, leadership in physics or significant contributions to physics education. Each year, no more than one half of one percent of the society’s membership is recognized by their peers as fellows. UCLA’s new fellows are:

Andrea Ghez

Ghez, director of the UCLA Galactic Center Group and UCLA’s Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Professor of Astrophysics, and her research team have made direct measurements of how gravity works near a supermassive black hole — research she describes as “extreme astrophysics.” She is honored for “the advancement of diffraction-limited observing techniques and pathbreaking measurements that established the existence of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, and made possible a variety of other discoveries.” Ghez’s previous honors include election to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a 2019 honorary degree from Oxford University.

Eric Hudson

Hudson, professor of physics in the UCLA College, conducts research that centers on understanding and harnessing the power of quantum interactions to enable new tests of fundamental physics and new technology. His research is narrowing the gap between chemistry and physics. Hudson is honored for “pioneering contributions to the study of charged-neutral collision physics, chemistry, and thermodynamics, and for his work developing a nuclear clock and new trapped ion qubits.” His other honors include a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Listen to Hudson discuss his research in this 9-minute, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Science Show interview.

Aydogan Ozcan

Ozcan, UCLA Chancellor’s Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and an HHMI Professor with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, introduces new imaging and sensing architectures, new theories and numerical algorithms to address the needs of telemedicine for global health problems. Ozcan is honored for “distinguished contributions to computational optics, specifically to holography, lensfree computational microscopy, cytometry, and sensing systems, all of which have broad impact on various biomedical applications such as telemedicine and global health.” He is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and a 2011 recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

Chee Wei Wong

Wong, the Tannas Professor of Engineering and a professor of electrical and computer engineering in the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, conducts research in areas including nonlinear optics, quantum optics, ultrafast optics and precision measurements. He is honored for “contributions in mesoscopic optical physics, including photonic crystals and laser frequency microcombs.” His previous honors include a National Institutes of Health Early Scientist Trailblazer Award and a Google faculty research award.