Paul Alivisatos, director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Paul Alivisatos, who has gained wide recognition for his study of the synthesis and characterization of semiconductor nanocrystals, is the director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He joined UC Berkeley as a faculty member in 1988, where he is presently professor of chemistry and materials science, and the Larry and Diane Bock Professor of Nanotechnology. Alivisatos is a leader of Berkeley Lab’s Helios solar research initiative, where he directs ground-breaking research on artificial photosynthesis and photovoltaic technology through the creation of nano-inspired devices. His research focuses on the structural, thermodynamic, optical, and electrical properties of inorganic crystals of nanometer size. Light-emitting diodes, nanocrystal/antibody conjugates as biological tag molecules, and DNA directed assembly of nanocrystal patterns are among the additional targets of his research.

Alivisatos is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago in 1981, and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from UC Berkeley in 1986. He was a postdoctoral fellow at AT&T Bell Labs.