Alex Harris
Director Energy Science and Technology, Energy and Photon Sciences Directorate

Brookhaven National Laboratory
Energy and Photon Sciences Directorate
Bldg. 555
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
(631) 344-4301
alexh@bnl.gov
The Chemistry Division conducts basic research in the chemical sciences on subjects ranging from nuclear processes shortly after the big bang, to medical imaging, and many topics in between.
After receiving a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 1985, Harris became a member of the technical staff in Chemical Physics Research of AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey (later the Bell Laboratories research division of Lucent Technologies). He became department head of the Materials Chemistry Research Department in 1996. In 2000, he joined Agere Systems, Allentown, Pennsylvania, as director of the Guided Wave and Electro-optics Research Department, and, in 2003, he joined Brookhaven as chair of the Chemistry Divsion. At Brookhaven, Harris plans to continue his surface studies as part of the Surface Chemical Dynamics Group, which has recently been formed and is setting up initial experimental efforts.
Research | Education | Appointments | Awards
Research Activities
Research Interests
Surface and interfacial dynamics; surface molecular dynamics; vibrational energy transfer; interface nonlinear optical spectroscopy; ultrafast interface spectroscopy; surface vibrational spectroscopy; nanoparticle spectroscopy; photopolymer kinetics; organic optical materials; holographic data storage; planar optical waveguide devices; high speed optical communication devices.
Education
B.A. Swarthmore College, Chemistry, 1978
Ph.D. University of California at Berkeley, Physical Chemistry, 1985
Professional Appointments
Chair, Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, 3/2003-present
Facility leader, Ultrafast Lasers, Center for Functional Nanomaterials, BNL 11/2005-present
Director, Guided Wave and Electro-optic Devices Research Dept., Agere Systems, 9/2000-2/200
Department Head, Materials Chemistry Research Dept., Bell Labs, Lucent Technologies, 1996-2000
Technical Manager, Analytical Chem. and Control Tech., Bell Labs, Lucent Technologies, 1995-96
Member of Technical Staff, Physical Sciences Research Division, AT&T Bell Laboratories, 1985-1995
Professional Activities
Member, Chemical Sciences Roundtable, 2003-present
Member, Fellowship selection committee, German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst; DAAD Fellowship), 2004-present
Member, Executive Committee, American Chemical Society Div of Phys. Chem., 1999-2002.
Member, American Chemical Society, American Phyical Society, Optical Society of America
Member, Preproposal Evaluation for Science and Technology Centers, NSF, 1998.
Member, Proctor & Gamble Award Committee, ACS, 1997.
Vice-chair, Gordon Research Conference on Vibrational Spectroscopy, 1996.
Member, site-visit review committee for NSF Materials Research Laboratory, U. Penn., 1992.
Member, program committee Quantum Electronics and Laser Science (QELS) meeting, 1991.
Bell Labs Ph.D. recruiter and recruit committee (1993-2000); Summer Research Comm. (1990-1992)
Awards & Recognition
Fellow, American Physical Society, 2004
PEL Associates Award in applied polymer chemistry, 2001
Distinguished Member of Technical Staff, AT&T Bell Laboratories, 1994
Joel Hildebrand Teaching Award, U. C. Berkeley, 1981
National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, 1979-1982

Brookhaven National Laboratory
Energy and Photon Sciences Directorate
Bldg. 555
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
(631) 344-4301
alexh@bnl.gov