AAAS Adds NREL’s Nancy Haegel to Honor Roll of Fellows
Nancy Haegel, the director of the National Center for Photovoltaics at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has been elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Haegel becomes the 12th person at NREL to receive this honor, which has been presented annually for 150 years.
AAAS, a global scientific society known for publishing the journal Science, elects as fellows members whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science, or its applications, are scientifically or socially distinguished.” The Washington, D.C.-based organization said Haegel was being honored “for distinguished contributions to the field of materials science, specifically in the areas of semiconductor transport, infrared detectors, and renewable energy.”
“I am very honored to be elected a AAAS fellow and grateful to colleagues at NREL and other institutions who supported my nomination,” Haegel said. “The AAAS mission to “advance science and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people” is one that aligns well with our mission at NREL. I consider myself very fortunate to have the opportunity to do work at NREL that both advances science and contributes to building a better world for future generations.”
Bill Tumas, NREL associate laboratory director for Materials, Chemical, and Computational Science and who recruited Haegel to the laboratory, said the honor was well deserved. “I am delighted to see Nancy’s contributions and impact recognized by this well-deserved recognition. We are grateful for her leadership in advancing the science and in mentoring younger scientists.”
Previously director of the Materials Science Center at NREL, Haegel also is a fellow of the American Physical Society. Prior to coming to NREL, she was a professor at several universities and recognized for outstanding classroom teaching as well as research on semiconductor materials and devices with both graduate and undergraduate students.
Haegel earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and her doctorate in materials science and engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.
Most recently, AAAS last year added NREL’s Matthew Beard and Garry Rumbles as fellows.