March 8, 2005

Four UCSB Assistant Professors Win Sloan Fellowships

Gail Gallessich

Four faculty members at the University of California, Santa Barbara are among 116 national winners to receive the prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for this year.

The new Sloan Research Fellows were selected from among hundreds of highly qualified scientists in the early stages of their careers on the basis of their exceptional promise to contribute to the advancement of knowledge. Thirty-two former Sloan Fellows have received Nobel prizes. The fellowships are awarded annually in seven fields: chemistry, computational and evolutionary molecular biology, computer science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, and physics.

The UCSB Fellows are: Frank L. H. Brown, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, in the category of chemistry; Everett A. Lipman, assistant professor in the Department of Physics, in physics; Jeffrey M. Moehlis, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering, in mathematics; and Milen T. Yakimov, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics, in mathematics.

· Frank Brown is involved in developing theoretical and computational tools from the physical sciences for use in studies of cellular biology.

· Everett Lipman uses ultra-sensitive light detection to study the assembly and behavior of single biological molecules.

· Jeff Moehlis is researching fluid dynamics, biological dynamics, microelectromechanical systems and dynamical systems.

· Milen Yakimov works in the field of Lie theory, Poisson geometry and completely integrable systems.

These awards are intended to enhance the careers of the very best young faculty members in specified fields of science. The award is for $45,000 for a two-year period. Funds are awarded directly to the Fellow's institution and may be used by the Fellow for such purposes as equipment, technical assistance, professional travel, trainee support, or any other activity directly related to the Fellow's research.

The Sloan Research Fellowships were established in 1955 to provide support and recognition to early-career scientists and scholars, often in their first appointments to university faculties, who were trying to set up laboratories and establish their independent research projects with little or no outside support. Financial assistance, even in modest amounts, in the careers of promising young scientists is seen as critically important.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.