Physics Chair Ravindra Pandey Elected Fellow of American Physical Society

The American Physical Society (APS) has elected Ravindra Pandey to Fellowship in the society. Pandey, chair of the Department of Physics at Michigan Tech, was recognized by the APS Division of Computational Physics.

His Fellowship citation reads: “For creative use of advanced computational techniques from materials physics and quantum chemistry to gain insights into nanostructure behaviors, especially for his prescient recognition of the looming importance of such calculations for predicting bio-nano hybrid material properties.”

As a Fellow of the APS, Pandey joins an elite group of top physicists. No more than one-half of one percent of APS members may be elected Fellows.

“Congratulations and compliments,” said Provost Max Seel, himself a physicist. “You bring recognition not only to yourself, but to the department, the College and Michigan Tech.”

Bruce Seeley, dean of the College of Sciences and Arts, said: “I could not be more pleased at the Christmas present that Ravi Pandey received in December—namely the notice that he has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Ravi is an exemplary representative not only of his field of study, but also of the Physics Department that he chairs. This well-earned recognition confirms the high regard in which he is held by his colleagues. I am thrilled that Ravi becomes the fourth APS Fellow in the department, joining Don Beck (2001), Michael Wertheim (2004) and Ulrich Hansmann (2008) in this exclusive group.

Pandey said: “The credit for this peer recognition goes to colleagues, postdocs and students working in my research group for more than 25 years.”

APS has more than 50,000 members. Its divisions and topical groups cover all areas of physics research. The society is active in public and governmental policy discussions and in the international physics community. APS conducts many educational and public outreach programs and publishes three journals: Physical Review, Physical Review Letters and Reviews of Modern Physics.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.