VITA
LOUCAS G. CHRISTOPHOROU
Date of birth/Family
January 21, 1937, Pendakomo, Limassol, CYPRUS
Father: George Christophorou; Mother: Penelope Louca
Married to Eratoula Papastavrou, July 28, 1963
Children: Penelope, October, 1964; Yianna, December, 1967
U.S. citizenship, September 4, 1970
Also Cyprus citizenship
Degrees:
BSc, Physics, University of Athens, Greece, 1960
Diploma in Advanced Physics, University of Manchester, England, 1961
PhD, Physics, University of Manchester, England, 1963
DSc, University of Manchester, England, 1969
Positions:
Research Staff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), 1963-1966
Head, Atomic and Molecular Radiation Physics Group, ORNL, 1966-1974
Head, Atomic, Molecular, and High Voltage Physics Group, ORNL, 1974-1994
ORNL Corporate Fellow (Distinguished Staff), ORNL, 1981-1991
ORNL Senior Corporate Fellow, ORNL, 1991-1995
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Senior Corporate Fellow Emeritus 1995-
Senior Physicist, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 1995-2002
Permanent Member, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece, February 2001-
Director, Office of Research in Experimental Physics, Academy of Athens, 2002-
Chair, Science Branch of the Academy of Athens, 2004
Secretary, Science Branch, Academy of Athens, 2011-
Chair of AA Energy Committee 2005-
Assistant Professor of Physics, The University of Tennessee (UT), 1964-1966
Associate Professor of Physics, The University of Tennessee, 1966-1969
Ford Foundation Professor of Physics, The University of Tennessee, 1969-1997
Co-Chairman, The ORNL/UT Distinguished Scientist Program, 1983-1990
Chairman, ORNL Corporate Fellows, 1984-1990
Chairman, ORNL Corporate Fellows Council, 1990-1992.
1
Memberships:
Academy of Athens, 1980-
American Physical Society, 1974- ; Fellow
American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1976-2008; Fellow
European Academy of Sciences and Arts, 2013-
Academia Europaea 2014-
Graduate Education/Other:
- Taught graduate and undergraduate courses at UT (1964-1997).
- Directed the dissertations of 30 graduate students (20 Ph. D. and 10 M. Sc.).
- Many summer students, visiting students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting scientists from around the world.
- Lectured at over 130 major Universities and Research Centers in the United States, Europe and Japan.
- Exchange Professor, University of Paris, Orsay, France, June-July, 1979
- Visiting Professor,The Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany, August 1991 –September 1992.
- Lectured on philosophical, ethical, and social aspects of science; Science and/for society.
- Distinguished guest scientist, Japan Society for the advancement of Science, 1998.
- Member of the Administration Council of the University of Central Greece, 2009-2010
- Member of the Administrative Council (Highest Governing Authority) of the University of Thessaloniki, 2012-
International Scientific Conferences Organized and Chaired: 29
- First International Symposium on Gaseous Dielectrics, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1978
- Second International Symposium on Gaseous Dielectrics, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1980
- Third International Symposium on Gaseous Dielectrics, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1982
- Fourth International Symposium on Gaseous Dielectrics, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1984
- Fifth International Symposium on Gaseous Dielectrics, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1987
- Sixth International Symposium on Gaseous Dielectrics, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1990
- Seventh International Symposium on Gaseous Dielectrics, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1994
- Eight International Symposium on Gaseous Dielectrics, Virginia Beach, Virginia, 1998
- Ninth International Symposium on Gaseous Dielectrics, Ellicott City, Maryland, 2001
- Tenth International Symposium on Gaseous Dielectrics, Athens, Greece, 2004
- Second International Swarm Seminar, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 1981
- NATO Advanced Study Institute on the Liquid State of Matter, Sintra, Portugal, 1987.
- NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Linking the Gaseous and Condensed Phases of Matter: The Behavior of Slow Electrons", Patras, Greece, 1993 (Scientific Co-director).
1
- EPA/NIST Workshop on SF6 Substitutes, Gaithersburg, Maryland, June, 1997
- International Symposium on Universal Values, Academy of Athens, May 26-28, 2004
- “Energy Conservation”, Athens, November, 2006.
- International Symposium on “Science, Technology and Human Values”, Athens, May 2-4, 2007.
- “Energy and Environment “, Athens, April, 2008.
- “Nuclear Power and the energy needs of Greece”, Athens, November, 2008.
- “Energy and Environment”, Athens, April 2008.
- “Materials for energy applications”, Athens, November 2009.
- “Electricity Generation in Greece: Fossil fuels, renewable energy sources and prospective of energy supply”, Athens, October 2010.
- “European Science Day: Science Education and responsibilities of scientists”, Rome, September, 2011.
- Workshop on “Solar Energy-Concentrated Solar Power”, Academy of Athens, December, 2011.
- EASAC Council meeting, Athens, December 2011.
- “Greek Hydrocarbons: From search to development”, Athens. April 2012.
- EASAC Bureau Meeting, Athens, September 2013.
- “Renewable energy sources: Prerequisites for massive introduction into the electric system of Greece”, November 2013.
- Waste Management and waste to energy, November 2014. Athens.
- Energy and energy planning for development in Greece, October 30, 2015.
- Also, organized many Sessions and Symposia at National and International Scientific Conferences.
Major Committees /Other:
- Member of EASAC ‘s (European Academies Science Advisory Council’s) Presidium, 2013-
- Member of EASAC ‘s Energy Steering Panel, 2012-
- Representative of the Academy of Athens at ALLEA (ALL European Academies), 2007-
- Representative of the Academy of Athens at IAP (InterAcademy Panel), 2006-
- Representative of the Academy of Athens at ICSU (International Council for Science), 2003-
- Member on Governing Board of the Biomedical Research Foundation, 2006-
- Member of the Administration Council, University of Central Greece, 2009-2010
- Member of the Administrative Council (Highest administrative authority) of the University of Thessaloniki, 2012-
- Member of the National Council for Research and Development of Greece, 2013-
- Chair of the committee on Energy and Environment, Ministry of Education, 2010-
- Energy Committee, Academy of Athens 2005-
- National Heritage Committee, Academy of Athens 2005-
- Member of many committees of the Academy of Athens 2001-
- Board of Editors, NIST Journal of Research, 1998-2001
- Member, NRC Subcommittee on Basic Needs for Plasma Processing, Washington, D.C., 1995
- Member, Science Alliance Awards Committee, UT, 1994
- Chairman, DOE Radiological and Chemical Physics Contractors, DOE White Paper on National Program, 1993/1994
- ORNL Library Advisory Board, 1994
- Chairman, ORNL Corporate Fellows Council, 1990-1992
- Co-chairman, ORNL/UT Distinguished Scientist Program, 1983-1990
- Chairman, ORNL Corporate Fellows, 1984-1990
- Chairman, ORNL Committee on Ph. D. Recruiting and Hiring, 1988/1989
- Member, Welfare of Staff Committee, ORNL, 1989/1990
- Member, ORNL Director Search Committee, 1988
- Member, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., Inventors Award Committee, 1986-1989
- Member, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., Publications Award Committee, 1987-1990
- Member, ORNL/UT Distinguished Scientist Program Review Committee, 1988
- Member, Science Alliance Award Committee, 1987
- Chairman, ORNL Exploratory Studies Program Committee, 1978-1980
- Member, ORNL Exploratory Studies Program Committee, 1976-1978
- Member, Health Physics Research Committee, 1975-1978
- Member, Qualifications Committee, Department of Physics, UT, 1981-1986
- Member, Graduate Studies Committee, Department of Physics, UT, 1970-1980
- Member, Ph. D. Preliminary Examinations Committee (at regular intervals between 1969-1997)
- Chairman/Member, many committees for Ph. D. /M. Sc. theses at UT and elsewhere
- Member, National Science Foundation/German Physical Society Group on Pulsed Power, Bad Honnef, West Germany, 1983
-Member, International Committee of International Conferences on Gas Discharges and Their Applications
- 8th at Oxford, England, 1985
- 9th at Venice, Italy, 1988
- 10th at Swansea, 1992
- 11th at Tokyo, 1995
1
- 12th at Greifswald, 1998
- 13th at Glasgow, 2000
- Member, International Committee of the International Seminars on Electron Swarms and Electron Collisions
- 2nd at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 1981
- 3rd, at Innsbruck, Austria, 1983
- 4th at Lake Tahoe, USA, 1985
- 5th at Birmingham, England, 1987
- 6th at New York, USA, 1989
` - 8th at Berkeley, USA, 1995
- 9th at Engelberg, Switzerland, 1997
- Member, Program Committee, Division of Electron and Atomic Physics, American Physical Society, 1979-1981
- Co-editor, IEEE Publication Digest on Dielectrics, 1983-1987
- Member, DOE Ad Hoc Committee on Radiological Physics for AEC to ERDA transition
- Member, many "Program Evaluation Committees" for AEC, ERDA, DOE, NSF, and other agencies
- Reviewer for many scientific journal in physics, chemistry, and engineering and research proposals for many agencies in the USA and abroad.
Field of Research
- Atomic and molecular physics, fundamental interactions of radiation and matter
- Radiation physics and chemistry
- Electron and ion physics; electron attachment and transport
- Chemical physics and photophysics
- Plasma Physics
- Interphase physics
- Electrical properties of the gaseous and the liquid state of matter
- Technological innovations derived from basic research principally in the areas of gaseous dielectrics, radiation detectors, pulsed power, fast pulsed power switches, and materials for plasma processing, environment and energy.
- Science and Society, Philosophy of Science, Universality of Science
- Energy production and use; energy and the environment; energy and poverty; energy and civilization.
Publications:
- Books: 29
: author/ co-author: 9
: editor/co-editor: 20
- Journal publications and papers in conference proceedings: over 380
- Patents: 14
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Other Major Research Reports: 34
1
- Oral presentations, invited papers/invited lectures: over 700
- Lectured at over 130 Universities/Research Institutions
Major Programs Established at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, The University of Tennessee, The National Institute of Standards and Technology and The Academy of Athens:
- ORNL/UT Distinguished Scientist Program
- Collaborating Scientist Program
- Detector Center
- Corporate Fellows Council
- ORNL Postdoctoral Program
- International Symposia on Gaseous Dielectrics
- Gaseous Dielectrics Program
- Power Systems Program
- Search for Alternative Gaseous Dielectrics
- Electron Interactions with Plasma Processing Gases
- Physics of Life Sciences: Electronic, Photonic and Ionic Interactions
- Energy Needs and Resources of Greece
- International Symposia on Science, Technology and Human Values
Honors/Awards:
- D.Sc., University of Manchester, England, 1969
- Fellow, American Physical Society, 1974-
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1976-
- Corresponding Member, Academy of Athens, Greece, 1980-
- ORNL Corporate Fellow, ORNL, 1981-1991
- ORNL Senior Corporate Fellow, ORNL, 1991-1995
- Senior Corporate Fellow Emeritus, ORNL, 1995-
- Significant Event Award (for the establishment of the ORNL/UT Distinguished Scientist Program), 1986
- Significant Event Award (for the discovery of optically enhanced electron attachment) 1987
- Inventor Award, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. (for patents in gaseous dielectrics), 1988
- Publication Award, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc, (for paper on photo-enhanced electron attachment), 1988
- Inventor Award, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. (for optical switch patent), 1988
- Significant Event Award (for the discovery of multiphoton ionization mechanisms in liquids), 1988
- Golden Acorn Award, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., (for inventions and patents) 1989
- Technical Achievement Award, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. (for outstanding research and for liquid dielectric pulsed power switch), 1990
1
- Technical Achievement Award, Martin Marietta Energy Systems (for the discovery of photoenhanced electron attachment to highly excited states of molecules), 1992
- Health and Safety Research Division's Award for Excellence in Research, 1992
- Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist Research Award (for excellence in teaching and research) 1991/1992
- The Phynix Metal, President of Greece, 1997
- Distinguished guest scientist, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, May/June 2000.
- Permanent Member of the Academy of Athens, Greece, December 2000- .
- The Second International Symposium on Low Energy Electron Molecule Interactions, Poland, 2003 was, dedicated to Loucas G. Christophorou on his 65th birthday
- Honorary doctor degree from the Physics department, University of Patras, Greece, 2009.
- Corresponding Member of the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts, 2011-
- Member of EASAC’s Council and Bureau; EASAC Vice President 2013-
Citations: Over 10,000
Teaching, Graduate Students, Post-docs, and collaborators
- Taught for over 35 years graduate and undergraduate courses in Physics, and lectured widely.
- Supervised the dissertations/theses of 30 PhD/MSc students and many other research students conducted part of their research under his supervision.
- Had many postdocs and collaborating scientists from around the world
Major Universities and Research Centers where Invited Lectures were presented include:
- The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
- Ministry of Education, Nicosia, Cyprus
- Democritos Nuclear Research Center, Athens, Greece
-University of Cyprus
- University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
- Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
- Westinghouse Research Laboratories, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- International Business Machines Corporation, Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York
- Central Research Institute for Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- University of California, Los Angeles, California
- Hahn-Meitner Institut, Berlin, West Germany
- Institut für Physikalishche Chemie, Julich, West Germany
- Interuniversity Reactor Institute, Delft, The Netherlands
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Soreq nuclear Research center, Soreq, Israel
- Radiation Laboratory, University of Notre Dame, Notre dame, Indiana
- Greek National Research Council, Athens, Greece
- Hellenic National Research Center, Athens, Greece
- University of Athens, Greece
- New York University, New York, New York
- University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
1
- University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
- Argonne national Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York
- University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
- University of Western Ontario and Research Foundation, Ontario, Canada
- Center of Interdisciplinary Studies in Chemical Physics, London, Ontario, Canada
- U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Washington, D. C.
- Energy Research and Development Administration, Washington, D. C.
- U. S. Department of Energy, Washington, D. C.
- Rice University, Houston, Texas
- Max-Planck Institute, Mulheim, West Germany
- University of Paris, Orsay, France
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
- Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey
- Brown-Boveri Research Center, Baden, Switzerland
- Electric Power research Institute, Washington, D. C.
- University Teachers College, Siedlce, Poland
- Institute of Applied Radiation Chemistry, Lodz, Poland
- Institute of Nuclear Research, Warsaw, Poland
- National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C.
- University of Manchester, Manchester, England
- University of Texas, Austin, Texas
- University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- University of Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
- Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science, Tokyo, Japan
- Centre d'Etudes Nucleaires de Saclay, France
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
- Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
- Norwegian Institute of Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Rockefeller University, New York, New York
- Texas Tech. University, Lubbock, Texas
- Laboratoire de Physique des Descharges, Ecole Superieure d' Electricite, France
- Naval Surface Weapons Center, Dahlgren, Virginia
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- BBC Brown Boveri and Company, Baden, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
- Centre de Recherches Nucleaires, Strasbourg, France
- Techniche Hochschule Darmstadt, Darmstadt, West Germany
- Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
- Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
- Gould-Brown Boveri, Springfield, Pennsylvania
1
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico
- Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia
- University College of Swansea, Swansea, Wales
- Naval Research Laboratories, Washington, D. C.
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens, Greece
- University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
- The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia
- University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
- Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi
- Free University of Berlin, Berlin, West Germany
- GTE Laboratories, Waltham, Massachusetts
- Plasma Physics Laboratories, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio
- University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
- Polytechnic University, Farmingdale, New York
- Fermi Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois
- San Diego State University, San Diego, California
- Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts