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Materials scientist named fellow of American Chemical Society

Hongyou Fan’s resume displays 20 years of annual awards


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories researcher and manager Hongyou Fan has been named a fellow of the American Chemical Society.

Founded in 1876 and chartered by the U.S. Congress, the society has more than 173,000 members in 140 countries and supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry.

The 2023 class of fellows were honored at a special ceremony during the fall meeting in San Francisco, California on Monday, Aug. 14.

Sandia National Laboratories materials scientist and researcher Hongyou Fan has been named a fellow of the American Chemical Society. His work has applications in electronics, energy, materials separation and more. He received the ACS Fellow award, presented by Angela Wilson, immediate past president of American Chemical Society, on August 14. (Photo courtesy of EPNAC.com) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.

Fan joins only two active Sandia researchers listed as American Chemical Society Fellows: Tina Nenoff, a Sandia Fellow, and Tim Zwier, who was elected a fellow when he was a Purdue University professor.

“Hongyou has been a prolific and first-rate scientific contributor who has been highly effective at converting scientific insights into technological breakthroughs,” said Sandia Climate Change Security Director Rob Leland.

Erik Webb, senior manager for geoscience research and applications, said, “I am thrilled that Hongyou has received this recognition for his outstanding contributions to basic science at the nanoscale. The selection also celebrates his ability to see applications of that basic work across a suite of societally important topics, including electronics, energy and material separations. He continues this research individually and as the leader of our geochemistry department, where he strongly encourages the development of several additional generations of scientists.”

The society recognized Fan “for outstanding contributions to the novel design, synthesis, functionalization and integration of nanomaterials leading to innovative applications in nanoelectronics, clean energy, sensor development and photocatalysis.”

It also recognized him “for impactful service in organizing ACS symposia, promoting the Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry, STEM outreach events, ACS journal publications and the ACS Petroleum Research Fund program.”

“This recognition is a personal honor and undoubtedly a significant milestone in my career,” Fan said. “However, this achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support of Sandia and the collaboration of an exceptional interdisciplinary team.”

Fan has received more than an award a year since 2000 when he was presented with the University of New Mexico Outstanding Graduate Student Award and, confirming University of New Mexico’s selection, the Materials Research Society’s Outstanding Graduate Student Award the same year. In 2005, he was presented with University of New Mexico’s Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award.

Focusing more on research, at Sandia he won six R&D 100 awards between 2007 and 2022. He was selected as the Asian American Engineer of the Year in 2012, a fellow of both the Materials Research Society and American Physical Society in 2016, and the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers Career Achievement Award winner in 2022. He serves as an editorial board member for Nature-Scientific Reports, American Chemical Society Applied Nano Materials, and Journal of Physics: Materials.

Fan has published more than 140 papers and reports, delivered more than 70 invited talks, holds 21 patents and co-founded Lunano LLC, a company that develops disinfectants to kill viruses, bacteria and fungi, including COVID-19 and various other harmful microbes.


Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Sandia Labs has major research and development responsibilities in nuclear deterrence, global security, defense, energy technologies and economic competitiveness, with main facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Livermore, California.

Sandia news media contact: Neal Singer, nsinger@sandia.gov, 505-306-3720