PNNL scientist elected Fellow of American Vacuum Society

Greg Kimmel acknowledged for "water behavior" research

July 27, 2016

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

RICHLAND, Wash. - A chemical physicist at the D.O.E.'s Pacific Northwest National Lab has been elected to the rank of Fellow of the American Vacuum Society.

Greg Kimmel is internationally acknowledged as a leader in the area of water-surface interactions and for the design and development of sophisticated scientific instruments and techniques. He was selected for "seminal contributions to understanding the structure and reactivity of water at interfaces." This work focuses on understanding how water "behaves" by investigating its structure and reactivity when it interacts with other materials. The thermal and non-thermal reactions he investigates have applications in a wide range of scientific fields, including catalysis, fuel cells, and even the water on Jupiter's moon, Europa.

Kimmel is also a Fellow of the American Physical Society and an active member of the American Chemical Society. He was recently named the editor of a new scientific journal, Advances in Physics: X, which focuses on the connection between physics across all scientific disciplines. He earned a bachelor's degree in engineering physics and a doctorate in applied physics from Cornell University in Ithaca.

AVS encourages networking among academic, industrial, government and consulting professionals across a variety of scientific disciplines, including chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and engineering. The organization focuses on a broad range of scientific interests including basic science, technology development, and commercialization. Fellows are acknowledged for "sustained and outstanding scientific and technical contributions in areas of interest to AVS." AVS has approximately 4,500 members worldwide and no in excess of one-half of a percentage of the membership is selected for the honor each year.

PNNL has 8 active staff members who hold the rank of AVS Fellow. Kimmel will be acknowledged along with the rest of the 2016 class of Fellows at the society's International Symposium and Exhibition in Nashville in November.

Tags: Fundamental Science, Awards and Recognizes, Chemistry, Physics

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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