Dr. Naomi J. Halas, Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Professor in Biomedical Engineering at Rice University has been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Halas is the inventor of metallic nanoshells, a class of nanoparticles that is being explored for dozens of potential applications, including a revolutionary new cancer treatment that entered human trials last year.

The Academy is one of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies and a center for independent policy research, and includes leaders in the sciences, the humanities and the arts, business, public affairs, and the nonprofit sector. The scholars, scientists, jurists, writers, artists, civic, corporate and philanthropic leaders come from 28 states and 11 countries and range in age from 33 to 83. They represent universities, museums, national laboratories, private research institutes, businesses, and foundations. This year’s group also includes Nobel laureates and recipients of the Pulitzer and Pritzker prizes, MacArthur Fellowships, Academy, Grammy, and Tony awards, and the National Medal of the Arts. The current membership includes more than 250 Nobel laureates and more than 60 Pulitzer Prize winners. Later this year, the 210 new Fellows and 19 Foreign Honorary Members will be inducted during a ceremony at the Academy’s headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

“These remarkable men and women have made singular contributions to their fields, and to the world,” said Academy President Emilio Bizzi. “By electing them as members, the Academy honors them and their work, and they, in turn, honor us.”

Halas, who is also director of the Laboratory for Nanophotonics at Rice, holds many awards and numerous patents.  She is a 2009 DoD National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellow. Her current professional activities include a recent appointment as Associate Editor of Nano Letters, Chair of the Gordon Research Conference on Plasmonics, 2010, member of the Editorial Advisory Board, Laser and Photonics Reviews 2009, and member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the International Conference on Plasmonics, 2009.

Halas received an undergraduate degree in chemistry from La Salle University in Philadelphia. She earned her master's and doctorate degrees in physics from Bryn Mawr College while pursuing her graduate research at IBM. She was a postdoctoral fellow at AT&T Bell Laboratories prior to joining the Rice faculty.

A complete list of newly elected Fellows and Honorary Foreign Members with their affiliations is located at: http://www.amacad.org/enewsletter/a.pdf

Rice University News Release
Rice Professor Naomi Halas, alum and benefactor John Doerr elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences