Chelikowsky Heads 32nd International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors

Jim Chelikowsky, professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering and director of the ICES Center for Computational Materials (CCM), will serve as the conference chair for the 32nd International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors (ICPS) August 10–15 at the Austin Convention Center.

This definitive biennial conference has brought together the global community of semiconductor researchers to share and discuss pressing problems and cutting-edge advances in semiconductor science since its inception in 1950.

Topics in semiconductor science will be explored through poster sessions, and through dozens of presentations by 70 speakers. Among the 10 plenary speakers are Andre Geim, a professor at the University of Manchester who was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize for his work on graphene, and honorary ICPS chairman Marvin Cohen, a National Medal of Science winner, member of the National Academy of Sciences, past president of the American Physical Society and professor at The University of California, Berkeley. Cohen is credited with being one of the first scientists to apply computational methods to semiconductor research.

About 800 researchers, which include academic and industry scientists, as well as graduate students, are registered for the event.

The conference is presented by The University of Texas at Austin, ICES, the CCM, and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics; sponsored by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, Argonne National Laboratory, Berkeley Lab, Office of Naval Research, DCA Instruments; and endorsed by the American Physical Society, the American Vacuum Society, and the Materials Research Society.

In addition to the scientific agenda, ICPS attendees have the opportunity to enjoy organized outings unique to Austin, including food trailer tasting, kayaking on Lady Bird Lake, Hill Country winery tours and a bat-watching cruise.