Irvine, Calif., March 26, 2002 -- UC Irvine scientists Vladimir Mandelshtam and Hongkai Zhao have been named 2002 Sloan Research Fellows, one of the most prestigious awards given to young researchers. Awarded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the two-year, $40,000 fellowship is intended to enhance the careers of the best young faculty members in the nation, especially those who have demonstrated independent creativity in their work. A total of 36 UCI researchers have received Sloan Fellowships, including this year's recipients.
Mandelshtam, an assistant professor of chemistry, develops theoretical and computational approaches to study various chemical reactions that take place in the atmosphere. He also is involved in developing computational methods for data processing in nuclear magnetic resonance experiments, a technique used to determine the structure of molecules. Mandelshtam joined the UCI faculty in 1998.
Zhao, an assistant professor of mathematics, uses mathematical modeling, analysis and computer simulations to study real-world problems in physics, computer science and engineering. In addition to other research, he specializes in developing and analyzing numerical algorithms for scientific computing.
The UCI School of Physical Sciences features the departments of chemistry, mathematics, Earth system science, and physics and astronomy. It gained international prominence in 1995 when professors F. Sherwood Rowland (chemistry) and Frederick Reines (physics) received the Nobel Prize, making UCI the first public university with faculty receiving Nobel prizes in two different fields in the same year.
Research in the school also rates among the nation's finest in atmospheric chemistry, organic chemistry, geoscience, elementary particle physics and astrophysics. Its researchers play important roles with international neutrino projects, United Nations environmental surveys and with providing the scientific information that assists in the drafting of international treaties, such as the Kyoto Protocol.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE: A TOP-10 PUBLIC UNIVERSITY