Celebrating Nanotechnology at the Hebrew University: Inaugural Dan Maydan Prize for Nanoscience Research Presented to Prof Yi Cui of Stanford

6/18/2019 5:21:51 AM

(MENAFN- PR Newswire) JERUSALEM, June 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 18, 2019 the Dan Maydan Prize for Nanoscience Research will be awarded for the first time by the Hebrew University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (HUCNN). The first recipient of this prestigious award is Professor Yi Cui of Stanford University. The citation of the prize for Professor Cui reads:

(Left to Right) Prof Uri Banin, Chair, former Founding Director of Hebrew University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (HUCNN), Prof. Yi Cui, Dan Maydan Prize in Nanoscience 2019 Laureate, Dr. Dan Maydan, former president of Applied Materials and Chairman of the Israel National Nanotechnology Initiative, and Uriel Levy, Director of HUCNN

"The inaugural Dan Maydan Prize for Nanoscience Research for 2019 is awarded to Professor Yi Cui for his outstanding contributions to nanoscale materials design with impact in alternative energy applications and environmental conservation, including battery technology, catalysis, topological insulators, water and air filtration."

Signed by the prize committee: Professor Uri Banin (Chair, former Founding Director of HUCNN), Professor Uriel Levy (HUCNN Director) and Professor Re'em Seri (Hebrew University Vice President for Research and Development).

The prize is awarded to an outstanding mid-career scientist, from Israel or abroad, for their significant academic accomplishments in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

The award ceremony will be accompanied by a unique symposium honoring Professor Yi Cui, with his presentation of his latest breakthroughs. In addition, three prominent HUCNN scientists will present their recent breakthroughs in nanoscience and nanotechnology in the diverse areas of innovative nanomaterials and 3D and 4D printing. A presentation by Professor Paul Alivisatos of the University of Berkeley will close the event.

Prof Yi Cui is being recognized for exceptionally innovative contributions to a broad area of nanomaterials for renewable energy and environment. Particularly, he is credited for starting the research field of nanomaterials design for battery research. His multiple innovative ideas have changed the battery field in a significant way and enabled new types of high energy density batteries and battery safety. Prof. Cui will offer a series of seminars and workshops while in Jerusalem.

"We are delighted to award the inaugural Dan Maydan Prize to Prof. Yi Cui. This is an auspicious beginning for the Dan Maydan prize, which will surely become a trademark of excellence in nanoscience research for prominent emerging scientists worldwide," said Prof. Uriel Levy, Director of the Hebrew University Nano Center. "Prof. Cui's cross-disciplinary work in nanotech mirrors the Hebrew University Nano Center's outstanding multidisciplinary approach. The Center encompasses fields from pharma and medicine to chemistry and applied physics, allowing researchers to work together on cutting edge projects to advance innovations for real world solutions."

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem established the Dan Maydan Prize for Nanoscience Research in conjunction with the American Friends of the Hebrew University (AFHU) and the generous donation made by Dr. Maydan, who played a major role in the establishment of the highly successful Israel National Nanotechnology Initiative (INNI). The INNI helped position Israel as a leader in nanotech and led to the establishment of 10 nanotech centers in Israel. The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is the leading nanotech center in Israel, with a multidisciplinary approach that has brought advances in nano sensors for autonomous driving, innovations in 3D printing, pharma and more.

Since its establishment in 2001, the Center has been fostering world-class, cross-disciplinary research in the fields of chemistry, physics, engineering, life sciences, agriculture, pharmacy, and medicine. Housing over 85 research groups and more than 500 M.Sc. and Ph.D. students, the Center allows Israel's best and brightest scientists, engineers, and perhaps most importantly students, to work at the forefront of nanotech innovation. Nanoscience and Nanotechnology are at the forefront of both basic and applied research in the fields of chemistry, physics, engineering, medicine, pharmacology, and life sciences. Advanced displays, new methods for sorting biomolecules from their opposite-handed counterparts, sensors for the autonomic automotive industry, artificial skin for robotics, anti-bacterial sterile surfaces for medical devices, new materials for efficient greenhouse structures, low-cost infrared night vision cameras, optical circuitry, and advanced coatings for solar energy harvesting are just a few examples of the Center's real-world devices having a tremendous impact.

Contact: Estee Yaari for The Hebrew University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology+972 (0)50 2007072

SOURCE Hebrew University Nano Center