Arjun Yodh
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Arjun Gaurang Yodh is an American physicist. He is the James M. Skinner Professor of Science at the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
and former Director of the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter.


Early life and education

Yodh was born and raised in
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
to Indian immigrant parents. Growing up, his father, a physicist, greatly attracted him to the field. While attending
Springbrook High School Springbrook High School is an American public high school, located in Montgomery County, Maryland, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It is located within the White Oak census-designated place, and has a Silver Spring mailing address. I ...
, Yodh was the runner-up for the best scientific paper at the annual Maryland Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Following high school, Yodh earned his
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
degree at
Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
and his PhD from
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. As a graduate student at Harvard, Yodh worked with Tom Mossberg and completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at
AT&T Bell Laboratories Nokia Bell Labs, commonly referred to as ''Bell Labs'', is an American industrial research and development company owned by Finnish technology company Nokia. With headquarters located in Murray Hill, New Jersey, Murray Hill, New Jersey, the compa ...
.


Career

Following his fellowship, Yodh joined the faculty at the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
as an
assistant professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...
of physics with a plan to use lasers to study molecules on surfaces. During his early time at UPenn, Yodh focused his research interests on aspects of chemical, condensed-matter, and optical physics. He also received the Office of Naval Research Navy Young Investigator Award and was an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow from 1991 to 1994 and earned an
Presidential Young Investigator Award The Presidential Young Investigator Award (PYI) was awarded by the National Science Foundation of the United States Federal Government. The program operated from 1984 to 1991, and was replaced by the NSF Young Investigator (NYI) Awards and Preside ...
. In 1997, he was appointed the William Smith Term Professor and James M. Skinner Professor of Science in 2000. Prior to his secondary appointment, Yodh was elected a Fellow of the
American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...
for his "work on the use of diffusing light fields and studies of the structural, dynamical, and spectroscopic properties of highly scattering materials." In 2000, he was elected a Fellow of OSA, "For pioneering work in the field of photon density wave studies." He also pioneered the use of diffuse optics as a tool for medical diagnostics, such as imaging of breast tumors and functional imaging and spectroscopy of the brain. His research also helped to discover what pattern a tumor creates. As the James M. Skinner Professor of Science, Yodh found that sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (NaDDBS) disperses nanotubes in water with high efficiency. The result of this discovery improved scientists ability to manipulate single nanotubes. He also employed optical techniques, such as laser tweezers and confocal microscopy, for the study of interactions and phase behavior of soft-matter systems. In 2009, Yodh was appointed the director of the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM) at the University of Pennsylvania. In his first term as director, Yodh oversaw the renewal of the $22 million
National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
Materials Research Science and Engineering Center award, the largest one nationwide. As well, he led the development of numerous educational outreach programs. As such, Yodh was re-appointed the LRSM director in 2014. During his second term as director, Yodh also served as a member at various UPenn institutes, including the Institute of Medicine and Engineering, the Bioengineering Graduate Group, and the Abramson Cancer Center. In 2016, he was the recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s Humboldt Research Award and, in 2017, was one of two UPenn professors who were elected Fellows of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...
(AAAS). In 2021, Yodh was elected into the
American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) is a non-profit organization founded in 1991, and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It represents 50,000 medical and Biomedical engineering, biomedical engineers, and academic i ...
for "pioneering pre-clinical and clinical contributions to the development of diffuse optics for imaging and monitoring tissue physiology." He was also awarded the 2021 Michael S. Feld Biophotonics Award from
The Optical Society Optica, founded as the Optical Society of America (later the Optical Society), is a professional society of individuals and companies with an interest in optics and photonics. It publishes journals, organizes conferences and exhibitions, and ca ...
.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yodh, Arjun Living people Scientists from Maryland 21st-century American physicists University of Pennsylvania faculty Cornell University College of Engineering alumni Harvard University alumni Fellows of the American Physical Society Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Year of birth missing (living people) American scientists of Asian descent