Three Argonne researchers inducted into AAAS

Mitchell, Taylor and Utschig will be fellows within the notable organization.

Scientists John Mitchell, Valerie Taylor and Lisa Utschig of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).  

Association fellows are nominated for their ​efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications that are scientifically or socially distinguished, according to the AAAS. The Association elected its first fellows in 1874. 

Mitchell and Utschig are chemists in Argonne’s Materials Science and Chemical Sciences and Engineering divisions, respectively. Taylor is the Division Director of the Lab’s Mathematics and Computer Science division. Mitchell and Taylor are Argonne Distinguished Fellows.  

“Association fellows are nominated for their efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications that are scientifically or socially distinguished.” — American Association for the Advancement of Science

Mitchell’s induction cites his ​“innovative, synthesis-driven studies of novel quantum materials, with impact in correlated electron physics, quantum magnetism and topological matter.”  

“For more than three decades, DOE’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences has supported my work at Argonne, where I have been studying the exotic world of quantum matter. It is exciting to grow and then hold crystals of these materials in my hand and then to share them with colleagues here and around the world to unlock the secrets of how electrons behave at the atomic level,” Mitchell said.  

Taylor was inducted for ​“contributions to the performance analysis and modeling of high performance scientific applications and leadership with broadening participation in computing.” 

“Energy-efficient execution on high performance computing systems is one of the major issues confronting scientific applications. By creating performance models, I have sought to provide insights into the trade-offs between performance and power requirements and to help application developers more fully exploit computing resources for scientific discovery,” Taylor said.  

Utschig’s citation credits her ​“distinguished contributions to the field of solar/photochemical energy conversion in natural and bioinspired photosynthesis, particularly for developing novel assemblies to advance approaches to convert solar energy into energy-rich chemicals.” 

“Thanks to long-term support from DOE’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from nature the intricacies of its fully optimized photosynthetic solar energy conversion mechanisms and have applied this knowledge to create new biohybrid complexes that produce clean fuels from sunlight and water,” Utschig said.   

The induction ceremony will be held in the spring of 2023 in Washington, D.C. More information on the fellowships can be found here.  

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation’s first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America’s scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://​ener​gy​.gov/​s​c​ience.