French Physicist Dr. Christian Colliex Awarded Holweck Medal for Advances Made in Electron Inspection of Nanostructures
French physicist Dr Christian Colliex from Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Université Paris Sud at Orsay, is the 2009 recipient of the Holweck Medal and Prize for his pioneering use of the electron microscope to further our understanding of the electronic structure of nanomaterials.
His main fields of interest concern the developments of new instrumentation and methodologies for close inspection of matter at macro and microscopic levels (condensed matter). Relying mostly on a technique called electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in electron microscopy, new instrumentation investigates, down to the atomic level, the structural, chemical, electronic and optical properties of isolated nanostructures and nano-objects, such as nanotubes, nanowires and nanoparticles.
Professor Colliex has played a leading role in the European and international scientific communities and was the driving force behind the successful networking of European electron microscope laboratories through ESTEEM, an EU funded programme which provides infrastructure support for the European community.
He is currently President of the International Federation of Societies of Microscopy and President of the next International Conference on Microscopies, ICM 17, to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2010. He has a particular interest in fostering outreach into Latin America
Philip Diamond at the Institute of Physics said, “Christian Colliex is a dynamic and innovative researcher. He has led a group which has been at the forefront of electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) for many years, and has made pioneering contributions to our understanding of the electronic structure of nanostructures.
“The careful precision of his experiments and his understanding of the physical processes involved in electron interactions have enabled him to develop a highly sophisticated understanding of these structures.”
To mark his award, Dr Colliex will be giving a lecture about advances in his field, entitled ‘Unveiling the nanoworld: how far can we measure, learn and shape with a tiny electron beam’, at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge on 27 August.
The Holweck Medal and Prize is awarded jointly by the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Société Française de Physique (SFP) for distinguished work in physics, as a memorial to Fernand Holweck, Director of the Curie Laboratory of the Radium Institute in Paris, who was tortured and killed by the Gestapo during the occupation of France, 1940-44. It is awarded to a French physicist in odd dated years and a physicist from the UK or Ireland in even dated years.
About the Holweck Medal
The Holweck Medal was instituted in 1945, jointly by the French and British Physical Societies as a memorial to Fernand Holweck, Director of the Curie Laboratory of the Radium Institute in Paris, who was tortured and killed by the Gestapo during the occupation of France 1940-44.
It is given jointly by the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Société Française de Physique (SFP). The award is made in alternate years by the Councils of one of the two societies to a physicist selected from a list of nominees submitted by the other.
The award is made for distinguished work in any aspect of physics that is ongoing or has been carried out within the 10 years preceding the award. In selecting the recipient of the award, the primarily experimental interest of Holweck will be borne in mind. The medal is gold and is accompanied by a prize of €1000, given alternately by the two societies, and a certificate.
About the Institute of Physics
The Institute of Physics is a scientific membership organisation devoted to increasing the understanding and application of physics. It has an extensive worldwide membership (currently around 34 000) and is a leading communicator of physics with all audiences from specialists through government to the general public. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is a world leader in scientific publishing and the electronic dissemination of physics.
For more information, please visit iop.org.
La Société Française de Physique
La société française de physique est une association reconnue d’utilité publique dont le but est de faire rayonner la physique en France en y associant tous les physiciens français (Cf. Article 1 des statuts).
A sa tête, le bureau coordonne les actions relayées par les sections locales, les divisions de spécialités et les commissions de travail. La totalité des acteurs et des membres de la SFP sont des physiciens bénévoles, représentés par le conseil, ayant tous en commun la passion de la physique et la promotion de la Science en général.
Le premier rôle de la SFP est de représenter la communauté des physiciens français auprés des ministères, d’autres organismes ou société savantes. Elle promeut également les sciences physiques auprès du grand public en participant par exemple à la “Science en fête”.
Le bulletin de la SFP diffuse des informations scientifiques inter-disciplinaires et rapporte les activités des sections, divisions et commissions. Le congrès de physique de la SFP est le seul congrès français où la physique, toutes disciplines confondues, peut-être presentée et discutée. L’Exposition de Physique est également un lieu de rencontre privilégié en particulier avec la Physique du secteur industriel.
Chaque année une série de prix est attribué aux physiciens pour leurs travaux spécifiques ou pour leurs actions contribuant à faire connaître la physique en dehors de la communauté. Enfin, la Société Française de Physique est l’actionnaire majoritaire de EDP Sciences.
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