Evelyn J. and Robert A. Ferris Professor of Physics Michael J. Naughton has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Ireland, the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board have announced.
Michael Naughton (Lee Pellegrini)
Beginning this fall, Naughton will conduct research with colleagues at Trinity College Dublin’s AMBER Centre (Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research), in support of projects on bioelectronics and nanostructured photovoltaics using a perovskite mineral compound.
“I am honored to be selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar,” Naughton said. “It will enable me to get out of my comfort zone a little and pursue new avenues of research at the interface of physics, materials, energy, and biotechnology, in collaboration with excellent faculty and facilities at TCD AMBER, as well as other universities in Ireland and Europe.”
An authority on experimental condensed matter and materials physics and nanoscale integrated science, Naughton’s cutting-edge research encompasses nanophotonics, photovoltaics, biophysics, and superconductivity. He has developed nanoscale devices for magnetic and bioelectronic sensing and neural optrode interfaces. Naughton, a fellow of the American Physical Society, has had his research funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy, U.S. Army, and W.M. Keck Foundation.
Naughton will share knowledge and help connect researchers in the United States and Ireland. The Fulbright Program supports cutting-edge research and expands researchers’ professional networks, often fostering collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for future partnerships between institutions.
Working in Ireland holds special significance given the University’s roots as a college for the sons of Irish immigrants. Among the many connections to Ireland today, BC Ireland is a hub of activity and programming for BC students on exchange, as well as researchers working in Ireland.
“Boston College has strong ties with Ireland, which has positioned itself as a gateway to Europe, and so I look forward to availing myself of BC Ireland’s facilities while there, helping to strengthen links between BC and Irish, and U.S. and European science,” said Naughton, a descendant of Irish immigrants.
Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs, and classrooms, scholars share their experiences and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad. Fulbright Scholar alumni join a network of thousands of esteemed scholars, many of whom are leaders in their fields—their ranks include 60 Nobel Prize laureates, 86 Pulitzer Prize recipients, and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.
Ed Hayward | University Communications | May 2021