Dr. Jay A. Switzer

Dr. Jay A. Switzer, the Donald L. Castleman/Foundation for Chemical Research Professor of Discovery at Missouri University of Science and Technology, has been named a Fellow of the Materials Research Society, a leading organization dedicated to the advancement of interdisciplinary materials research.

Switzer was recognized for his pioneering and sustained contributions to the electrodeposition of ceramic films and epitaxial nanostructures, and for service to the Materials Research Society. He will receive the award in April at the 2015 MRS Spring Meeting in San Francisco.

The title of MRS Fellow honors those MRS members who are notable for their distinguished research accomplishments and their outstanding contributions to the advancement of materials research, worldwide. The maximum number of new Fellow appointments each year is limited to 0.2 percent of the current MRS regular membership. The MRS Fellow is a lifetime appointment.

Switzer is known for his work in developing electrodeposition processes for creating nanostructures such as superlattices and metal oxide semiconductors that exhibit what Switzer calls “interesting optical, electrical or magnetic properties.”

His current research focuses on developing catalysts for splitting water using sunlight, and the deposition of thin-film metal oxides for solid-state memory.

“Our research is at the interface between chemistry and materials science,” says Switzer.

A member of the Missouri S&T faculty since 1990, Switzer was named Curators’ Professor in 1996 and the Castleman/FCR Professor of Discovery in 1999. He also is a senior investigator for the Graduate Center for Materials Research at Missouri S&T.

Switzer was principal editor of the Journal of Materials Research from 2002 until 2015. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

MRS is an organization of materials researchers worldwide that promotes communication for the advancement of interdisciplinary materials research and technology to improve the quality of life. MRS has more than 16,000 members in academia, industry and government in over 80 countries. A list of current MRS Fellows is available online.