Five Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Nathan Baker and Karl Mueller were elected by the chemistry section; Ted Bowyer was elected by the physics section; Karin Rodland was elected by the biological sciences section; and Hussein Zbib was elected by the engineering section.
They will be honored at an induction ceremony Feb. 18 at the AAAS annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia. The five selections bring the Richland-based national laboratory's total of AAAS fellows to 52.
Nathan Baker
Baker's research is in the areas of computational biophysics, nanotechnology and informatics.
He serves as the chief scientist for signature sciences at PNNL and the laboratory's Signature Discovery Initiative. Signatures are distinguishing collections of features that identify, detect or predict a phenomena of interest, such as cyber intrusion, energy grid failure or disease progression.
Baker is involved in the development of new algorithms and software for computational biology and modeling in support of several research projects. He leads a National Cancer Institute activity called the caBIG Nanotechnology Working Group that is developing computational methods for the prediction of nanomaterial properties and the design of improved nanoparticles.
Ted Bowyer
Bowyer is an internationally recognized expert in nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear physics, specifically the detection of extremely low level airborne radioactive emissions that are definitive signatures for nuclear explosions.
At PNNL, he manages the Nuclear Explosion Monitoring and Policy program. In addition to performing fundamental and applied research in the development of systems to detect signs of proliferation, Bowyer has served as a scientific advisor on issues related to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.
Karl Mueller
Mueller's research focuses on the development and use of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, or NMR, techniques to address unresolved questions in materials and environmental science that require advanced characterization tools and multi-disciplinary approaches.
At PNNL, Mueller is establishing a research program that uses novel NMR methods to address problems such as the development and characterization of industrial catalysts and the molecular-level understanding of the fate and transport of pollutants in the environment.
Mueller is based at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory on the PNNL campus and also is an adjunct faculty member at Washington State University.
Karin Rodland
Rodland, a cancer cell biologist, is the science lead for National Institutes of Health programs at PNNL.
She has an international reputation for using proteomics -- the study of the structure and function of proteins -- to identify biomarkers that can provide early detection of cancer and other diseases. Rodland's research is focused on understanding the fundamental differences between cancer cells and their normal counterparts, which can assist in early detection of diseases.
She has been recognized for taking a systems biology approach to her research, characterizing the complex interactions between various signaling pathways in breast cancer.
She has also promoted the use of PNNL's proteomics capabilities for the discovery of biomarkers for cancer and other diseases. She has funding from the National Cancer Institute to integrate PNNL's proteomic capabilities with gene-level studies conducted by The Cancer Genome Atlas to develop biomarkers for breast and ovarian cancer.
Hussein Zbib
Zbib's research focuses on the behavior of materials -- particularly the thermo-mechanical behavior -- at the nano and micro scales in an effort to create more durable materials that will stand stress.
On the small end of the spectrum, nanometer to micrometer, his work includes investigating the physical characteristics and mechanical performance of metals and composites with implications to nanostructured materials and thin films, such as those used in micromechanical systems, microelectronics and medical diagnostics.
On the large end of the length scale spectrum, micrometer to macrometer, his research focuses on the behavior of metals and geological materials under extreme conditions, such as shockwaves, metal forming and high speed machining, superplastic forming, as well as earthquake and soil engineering. Zbib also is a professor of mechanical and materials engineering at Washington State University.
