BWIS Speaker Series: The Inspiring Career of Haiyan Gao in 'My Journeys in Physics and Beyond,' 7/27
July 27, 2023
The Brookhaven Women in Science (BWIS) speaker series presents Haiyan Gao, Associate Laboratory Director for Nuclear and Particle Physics at Brookhaven Lab and the Henry W. Newson Distinguished Professor of Physics at Duke University, on Thursday, July 27, at 4 p.m. for her talk titled, "My Journeys in Physics and Beyond." All are welcome to attend this talk, during which she will share her remarkable career path as a physicist, educator, and leader.
Haiyan arrived in the United States in 1989 as an international student to pursue graduate studies in physics. Fast forward more than three decades, and she has not only continued her journey in physics but also made significant contributions in various roles. Her academic achievements include a B.S. in physics from Tsinghua University in 1988 and a Ph.D. in Physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1994. These early accomplishments paved the way for a remarkable career.
She was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, from 1994 to 1996 prior to joining Argonne National Laboratory as an Assistant Physicist. She was on the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1997 to 2002 before she joined the physics faculty at Duke in 2002 and became a full professor in 2008.
Her research interests have covered a wide range of topics, including nucleon structure, searches for QCD exotic states, fundamental symmetry studies at low energy, and polarized gas targets. Her expertise and dedication have earned her the title of Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) in 2007, a prestigious recognition in the world of physics.
She has taken on significant leadership roles, serving as the Chair of the Physics Department at Duke University from July 2011 to December 2014 and later as the founding Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Duke Kunshan University from January 2015 to June 2019. She has also been involved in various committees and advisory panels, including the executive board of the APS and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on U.S.-Based Electron Ion Collider Science Assessment, the 2015 Nuclear Science Advisory Committee Long Range Plan (LRP) Writing Committee, and the program advisory committees at Jefferson Lab, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Mainz University. Currently, she chairs the Executive Committee of the DNP.
Haiyan is a member of the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC), a committee established by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation to provide advice and recommendations on matters related to nuclear science research, facilities, and priorities. The committee plays a crucial role in guiding the direction of nuclear science research in the United States. She is also a member of the 2023 NSAC LRP Writing Committee, and on the editorial board of Physics Letters B.
How to Join the Event
This talk will be held via video conference. To attend "My Journeys in Physics and Beyond,” register and then use the link provided.
For any inquiries, contact Vivian Stojanoff (stojanof@bnl.gov).
BWIS, a nonprofit organization that supports and encourages the advancement of women in science and is open to all individuals, is funded by Brookhaven Science Associates.
2023-21374 | INT/EXT | Newsroom
