• Nanoscientist Lai-Sheng Wang, professor of physics and materials science at WSU Tri-Cities and affiliate chief scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been awarded a Humboldt Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists. One of the top awards given by Germany’s Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, it recognizes Wang’s “past accomplishments in research and teaching.”

Wang is a world leader in nanoclusters research. For example, he and his colleagues created hollow nanoscale cages of gold atoms, the first known metallic equivalent of the famous carbon fullerene or “buckyball.” In addition, he pioneered the study of multiply charged negative ions and initiated the study of solution molecules in the gas phase. His team also created the first all-metal aromatic molecules and discovered unexpected properties of extremely small particles of boron.

During his 16 years in research, his publications have been featured frequently in top journals, including Science and Nature.

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation presents up to 100 of these awards annually to encourage international research collaborations and to promote a worldwide network of scholars. The awards include an invitation for the recipients to conduct research projects of their choice in Germany for up to a year.