Ramamoorthy Ramesh
Ramamoorthy Ramesh, University of California, Berkeley
2007 Turnbull Lecturer
"For his pioneering contributions to the materials science of complex oxide heterostructures and nanostructures, including multiferroics, ferroelectrics,and magnetoresistive oxides; and for his enthusiasm and leadership in conveying the excitement of this field to a broad audience."
Ramamoorthy Ramesh received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1987. At the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, he carried out pioneering research on high-temperature superconductors and co-discovered the 110K superconducting phase in the bismuth cuprate system. While at Bellcore from 1989-1995, he initiated research in several key areas, including ferroelectric nonvolatile memories. His landmark contributions in ferroelectrics came as a result of recognizing that conducting oxide electrodes are the solution to the problem of polarization fatigue, which for 30 years had been an enigma. This contribution is now acknowledged worldwide, with many industrial and research laboratories implementing his approach. In 1994, collaborating with S. Jin (Lucent Technologies), he initiated research into manganite thin films; their paper on Colossal Magnetoresistive (CMR) Oxides, the term coined by the duo, was published in Science and is that publication’s fourth most-cited paper, with more than 2000 citations.
He joined the University of Maryland in 1995, where he was promoted to professor in 1999 and to Distinguished University Professor in 2003. He is currently a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where he pursues key scientific and technological problems in complex multifunctional oxide thin films, nanostructures, and heterostructures. His recent work has pioneered the resurgence of research activity in multifunctional materials. His group demon-strated the existence of a large ferroelectric polarization in multiferroic BiFeO3 films (Science 2003), in agreement with first principle predictions. The group also displayed a very novel approach in creating self-assembled multiferroic nanostructures. This work (Science 2004) showed, through a three-dimensional heteroepitaxy, the formation of multifunctional ferro-electric-magnetic nanostructure with strong lattice coupling due to heteroepitaxy.
Ramesh’s work in the areas of materials physics of complex oxide thin films and heterostructures is recognized worldwide. He has over 350 publications, along with 18 patents issued and 11 pending. With more than 14,000 citations, he ranks among the most cited researchers in physics. In 2000, he was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from the International Symposium on Integrated Ferroelectrics. He received the Humboldt Senior Scientist Prize from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for his pioneering work on the fundamental nanoscale science of size scaling in ferroelectric thin films; the A. James Clark College of Engineering Faculty Outstanding Research Award; and Fellowships to the American Physical Society (2001), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2005). In 2005, he received the APS David Adler Lectureship Award. The following year, he was awarded the Ikeda Lectureship in Japan and the Brahm Prakash Visiting Chair at the Indian Institute of Science.
Back To Top