PNNL researchers selected as AAAS fellows

Fellows are selected for achievements that advance science and its applications

December 12, 2016

• MaryAnne Wuennecke, PNNL, (509) 375-2447

RICHLAND, Wash. - 2 staff members at the D.O.E.'s Pacific Northwest National Lab have been elected to the rank of fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. AAAS is the world's biggest multidisciplinary scientific society which looks for to "advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people." A designation of fellow is the society's highest honor, which has been conferred on PNNL's Morris Bullock and Jud Virden.

Morris Bullock is a Lab fellow and the director of the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, a D.O.E. Energy Frontier Research Center led by PNNL. He was acknowledged for his contributions toward developing a comprehensive understanding of how chemical and electrical energy is stored and utilized for applications in the development of non-fossil fuel sources. He is also a fellow of the American Chemical Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry, and received the RSC's prestigious "Homogeneous Catalysis Award" in 2013. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Jud Virden is the associate Lab director overseeing PNNL's energy and environmental research activities. He was acknowledged for his leadership in developing solutions to clean energy challenges and developing partnerships that move technology into the marketplace. In 2014 he was elected to membership in the Washington State Academy of Sciences and acknowledged with the University of Washington College of Chemical Engineering Moulton Distinguished Alumnus Award. He earned a bachelor's degree and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Washington.

AAAS is the world's biggest multidisciplinary scientific society and a leading publisher of cutting-edge research through its Science family of journals. AAAS has individual members in in excess of 91 countries around the globe. The organization's council annually elects members whose "efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished." Election as an AAAS fellow is determined by peer reviewers. Fellows are recognized for "meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications." AAAS began honoring its distinguished members with the title of fellow in 1874.

PNNL now has 38 active staff members who hold the rank of AAAS fellow. Bullock and Virden will be acknowledged with the rest of the 2016 class of fellows at the AAAS yearly meeting in Boston in February.

Tags: Energy, Fundamental Science, Awards and Recognizes, Energy Efficiency, Chemistry, Catalysis

Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Lab address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. Founded in 1965, PNNL employs 4,400 staff and has an yearly budget of nearly $1 billion. It is managed by Battelle for the D.O.E.'s Office of Science. As the single biggest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information on PNNL, visit the PNNL News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Twitter.

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