Alex Harris
Director, Energy Science & Technology, Energy and Photon Sciences Directorate
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Energy and Photon Sciences Directorate
Bldg. 735, Room 2045
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
(631) 344-4301
alexh@bnl.gov
Pronouns: He/His
The Energy Science and Technology (ES&T) Department conducts research in energy sciences broadly and focuses in chemical, materials and nanoscience, with primary funding from the Office of Basic Energy Sciences within the DOE Office of Science. The department consists of the Chemistry Division, the Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Division, and the Center for Functional Nanomaterials. Scientists in ES&T also pursue research in quantum information science, microelectronics and artificial intelligence, contributing to BNL strategic efforts in these areas.
Harris was trained as a physical chemist. His research has focused in ultrafast laser spectroscopy studying molecular and chemical dynamics at surfaces. He began his career in 1985 in Chemical Physics Research atf AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey (later the Bell Laboratories research division of Lucent Technologies), where he became a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff and Department Head of the Materials Chemistry Research Department. In 2000, he joined Agere Systems, Allentown, Pennsylvania, as director of the Guided Wave and Electro-optics Research Department. In 2003, he moved to Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) as Chair of the Chemistry Divsion. In 2021, he became Director of the BNL Energy Science and Technology Department.
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
Appointments
Director, Energy Science and Technology Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, 7/2021 – present
Chair, Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, 3/2003-9/2022
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. 735, Room 2045
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
(631) 344-4301
alexh@bnl.gov
