Four researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been elected to fellowship in the American Physical Society.

David Christen, David Geohegan, Xun-Li Wang and William Weber were named APS fellows in recognition of their outstanding contributions to physics. APS fellowship is limited to no more than one half of one percent per year of the society's membership.

Christen, a researcher in ORNL's Material Sciences and Technology Division, was recognized by the APS for his sustained discovery and leadership in understanding of superconductive materials, especially their current conduction and vortex state properties. He serves as leader of the Superconductivity and Energy Efficient Materials group and has worked at ORNL since 1974.

Christen holds a doctorate in physics from Michigan State University. He and his wife, Sandy, live in Oak Ridge; they have three adult children.

Geohegan has worked at ORNL since 1987 and is a Distinguished Research Staff Member in the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences Division where he studies the fundamental growth processes of carbon nanotubes and other nanomaterials as well as their optical interactions. He was elected to the APS in recognition of his pioneering work in understanding and controlling nonequilibrium growth processes of thin films and nanomaterials through real-time laser spectroscopy, imaging and plasma diagnostic investigations.

He holds a doctorate in physics from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He and his wife, Marian, live in West Knoxville.

Wang, a member of ORNL's Neutron Scattering Science Division, serves as the lead instrument scientist for VULCAN, a state-of-the-art engineering diffractometer at the SNS. Wang was cited by the APS for his sustained contributions in neutron diffraction studies and his leadership in the design and construction of a versatile engineering diffractometer at ORNL's Spallation Neutron Source.

Wang arrived at ORNL in 1992 and joined SNS in 1999. He received his doctorate from Iowa State University and his undergraduate degree from Beijing University, both in physics. He lives in Knoxville with his wife Haiyi and their daughter Camilla.

Weber, a University of Tennessee-ORNL Governor's Chair, was recognized by the APS for his seminal contributions and scientific leadership in the materials physics of defects, defect processes, ion-solid interactions and radiation damage processes in ceramics.

Weber arrived at UT/ORNL in May from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he worked as a researcher since 1977. He is the editor or co-editor of five conference proceedings, and the author or co-author of more than 340 journal articles, seven book chapters, 108 peer-reviewed conference papers and 53 technical reports. He holds a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He lives in Knoxville with his wife Yanwen Zhang.

ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for the Department of Energy's Office of Science.