Assistant Professor Cheng Gong Wins IUPAP Young Scientist Award

Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Cheng Gong has received the 2020 Young Scientist Award from the Commission on Semiconductors (C8) of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP). He has been recognized for “pioneering the experimental discovery and understanding of novel two-dimensional materials and the highly innovative development of spintronic devices based on such materials."

Prof. Gong is an affiliate of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, a fellow of the Quantum Technology Center, and a fellow of the Maryland Quantum Materials Center.

“It is a great honor to receive this prestigious award. I look forward to making new contributions to the field based on the unique strengths and resources at University of Maryland, and sharing these scientific excitements with physicists worldwide in the upcoming ICPS in Sydney two years later,” says Prof. Gong.

Prof. Gong pioneered the discovery of the first magnetic two-dimensional material, and has been developing multiple energy-efficient electronic devices such as spin transistors based on the emerging quantum materials. He received his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Texas at Dallas, and was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Berkeley until joining the University of Maryland faculty in 2019.

Only two prizes are awarded biannually for outstanding contributions to semiconductor physics and its applications made by early career scientists. The prizes will be awarded during the 35th International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors (ICPS) to be held in Sydney, Australia from June 26 to July 1, 2022. The prizes include commemorative IUPAP medals and 1000 Euros each, and invited oral presentations at ICPS 2022.

Founded in 1922, IUPAP is one of the top organizations for academic exchanges and cooperation in the field of physics. The IUPAP Young Scientist Award was established in 2006 to recognize young scholars for their contributions to the field of physics.

Published June 24, 2020