Cherry A. Murray
Encyclopedia
Cherry A. Murray, Ph.D., is the Dean
of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
(SEAS) and John A. and Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences. She is also the current President of the American Physical Society
(APS) and Chair of the Division of Engineering and Physical Science of the National Research Council
.
, Kansas
, and the daughter of a diplomat, Murray lived in the United States, Japan
, Pakistan
, South Korea
, and Indonesia
as a child. Murray completed her undergraduate science degree in physics in 1973 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, from where she was awarded her Ph.D. in physics in 1978. She then conducted postgraduate and post-doctoral research on ultrahigh-vacuum and surface physics, studying the surface phonons of porous vycor glass with Professor Thomas J. Greytak from 1974 to 1978. During this time, she was awarded with an IBM
Graduate Fellowship from 1975 to 1977.
and previously has held numerous research and leadership positions at Bell Laboratories (the last as senior vice president for physical sciences and wireless research).
A celebrated experimentalist, Murray is well-known for her scientific accomplishments using light scattering, an experimental technique where photons are fired at a target of interest. Scientists can then gather insights into surface physics and photonic behavior by analyzing the spray of photons in various directions from such collisions. She is also a leader in the study of soft condensed matter and complex fluids, hybrid materials that show properties of different phases of matter. The control of suspensions, foams, and emulsions has application for the development of everything from novel drug delivery systems to "lab-on-a-chip" devices.
Murray has served on more than 80 national and international scientific advisory committees, governing boards, and National Research Council (NRC) panels. Murray has also been elected to the National Academy of Sciences
, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
and the National Academy of Engineering
. She is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
and the California Council on Science and Technology
. In 2002, Discover Magazine named her one of the "50 Most Important Women in Science". Furthermore, in 1989 Murray won the APS’s Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award for outstanding achievement by a woman physicist in the early years of her career, and in 2005, she was awarded APS’s George E. Pake Prize in recognition of outstanding work combining original research accomplishments with leadership and development in industry.
On June 14, 2010, Murray was appointed by Barack Obama
to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
.
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
The Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science , a school within Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences , serves as the connector and integrator of Harvard's teaching and research efforts in engineering, applied sciences, and technology.Engineering and applied sciences at Harvard...
(SEAS) and John A. and Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences. She is also the current President of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
(APS) and Chair of the Division of Engineering and Physical Science of the National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
.
Early life and education
Born in Fort RileyFort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, and the daughter of a diplomat, Murray lived in the United States, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
as a child. Murray completed her undergraduate science degree in physics in 1973 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, from where she was awarded her Ph.D. in physics in 1978. She then conducted postgraduate and post-doctoral research on ultrahigh-vacuum and surface physics, studying the surface phonons of porous vycor glass with Professor Thomas J. Greytak from 1974 to 1978. During this time, she was awarded with an IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
Graduate Fellowship from 1975 to 1977.
Career
Murray has published more than 70 papers in peer-reviewed journals and holds two patents in near-field optical data storage and optical display technology. Her current primary research focus includes the use of light scattering, soft condensed matter, and complex fluids. Prior to her appointment at SEAS on July 1, 2009, Murray was Principal Associate Director for Science and Technology at Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoryLawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , just outside Livermore, California, is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center founded by the University of California in 1952...
and previously has held numerous research and leadership positions at Bell Laboratories (the last as senior vice president for physical sciences and wireless research).
A celebrated experimentalist, Murray is well-known for her scientific accomplishments using light scattering, an experimental technique where photons are fired at a target of interest. Scientists can then gather insights into surface physics and photonic behavior by analyzing the spray of photons in various directions from such collisions. She is also a leader in the study of soft condensed matter and complex fluids, hybrid materials that show properties of different phases of matter. The control of suspensions, foams, and emulsions has application for the development of everything from novel drug delivery systems to "lab-on-a-chip" devices.
Murray has served on more than 80 national and international scientific advisory committees, governing boards, and National Research Council (NRC) panels. Murray has also been elected to the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
and the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
. She is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
and the California Council on Science and Technology
California Council on Science and Technology
The California Council on Science and Technology is an independent, not-for-profit 501 organization designed to offer expert advice to the California state government and to recommend solutions to science and technology-related policy issues....
. In 2002, Discover Magazine named her one of the "50 Most Important Women in Science". Furthermore, in 1989 Murray won the APS’s Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award for outstanding achievement by a woman physicist in the early years of her career, and in 2005, she was awarded APS’s George E. Pake Prize in recognition of outstanding work combining original research accomplishments with leadership and development in industry.
On June 14, 2010, Murray was appointed by Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling is a bipartisan presidential commission, established by Executive Order 13543 signed by Barack Obama on May 21, 2010, that is “tasked with providing recommendations on how the United States can prevent and mitigate...
in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
.