Jacob Jones Wins Holladay Medal
Jacob Jones, Kobe Steel Distinguished Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and director of the National Science Foundation Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center, is one of three faculty members to receive the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence from NC State University.
The Holladay Medal is the highest honor bestowed by NC State and the university’s Board of Trustees. It was named in honor of Alexander Quarles Holladay, NC State’s first professor of history and its first president. This year’s award winners have made outstanding and sustained contributions to the university through achievements in research, teaching or extension and engagement. Honorees receive an engraved medal and framed certificate, and they will be recognized at NC State’s spring commencement ceremony on May 3.
The other two winners are Brian Gilger, professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences, and Xiangwu Zhang, Samuel S. Walker Distinguished Professor in the Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science.
A distinguished scientist and exceptional collaborator, Jones integrates research excellence with a deep commitment to student education and success. His research focuses on the development and application of advanced neutron and x-ray scattering techniques to study the crystallography of complex, hierarchically structured materials, as well as the kinetics and mechanisms of material synthesis and phase evolution. Internationally recognized as a leading expert in ferroelectric materials, Jones has provided unprecedented insights into the atomic-structure dynamics underlying piezoelectric and electromechanical phenomena, significantly advancing the field. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers, holds four patents, and is a two-time recipient of the prestigious Edward C. Henry Award for the best paper published in the Journal of the American Ceramic Society. His scientific achievements are complemented by his leadership in research and professional communities.
Jones represents the university in leadership roles within international organizations and national research initiatives. As the director and principal investigator for STEPS, Jones leads a team of researchers from 10 institutions to improve phosphorous sustainability. He is the director of the NSF-supported Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network, a collaboration with Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He previously served as the director of the Analytical Instrumentation Facility. Jones exemplifies the ideals of a scholar, mentor and leader, consistently advancing his field while fostering the next generation of scientists and engineers. His remarkable contributions have significantly elevated NC State’s reputation in materials science and engineering on national and international stages.
He received his Ph.D. from Purdue University and then completed an international postdoctoral fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF) at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. He joined NC State in 2013.
Read the full story on NC State News.
This post was originally published in College of Engineering News.
