Dr. Laura H. Greene, the Marie Krafft professor of physics at FSU and Chief Scientist at the National MagLab joined us in 2015. On September 22, 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden appointed Laura to his President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).
“I am humbled and honored to be selected to advise the president on science, technology, and innovation policy,” Greene said. “I feel like this is my opportunity to serve my country in a way where I can make a real contribution and help ensure that America remains a global leader in fundamental and applied research.”
Greene is a widely respected researcher in experimental condensed matter physics investigating quantum materials. She focuses on strongly correlated states utilizing planar tunneling and point contact electron spectroscopies of heavy fermions, topological materials, unconventional superconductors, and other quantum materials.
She also works to develop methods of predictive design of new families of superconducting materials. Greene is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and holds fellowships in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Institute of Physics (U.K.), and the American Physical Society (APS). She has been a Guggenheim Fellow and received numerous awards including the E.O. Lawrence Award for Materials Research from the U.S. Department of Energy, the APS Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award, and the Bellcore Award of Excellence. She has co-authored over 200 publications and presented about 700 invited talks.
Greene plays an active leadership role in numerous science organizations. She was the 2017 president of the American Physical Society where her theme was science diplomacy on national and international scales and its application to human rights. Greene was a co-chair on the 2019 Decadal Survey for Materials Research for the National Academy of Sciences and served on the Board of Directors for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is the Vice Presi- dent of Ethics and Outreach for the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, serves in their U.S. International Liaison Committee, and chaired their Commission on the Structure and Dynamic of Condensed Matter Physics (C10).
“Laura brings not just an expertise in materials research, but a deep understanding of scientific organizations around the world and the impacts that science has on peoples’ lives—key perspectives that will bring great value to her role within this group of advisors,” said Greg Boebinger, director of the National MagLab. Greene holds a bachelor’s and mas- ter’s degree from Ohio State University and a master’s degree and doctoral degree in physics from Cornell University. She also holds an appointment at the University of Florida. “This is the latest in a long string of remarkable recognitions for Laura Greene,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “She is a great representation of the high- quality faculty we are proud to have here at Florida State University.”
