Newswise — Two innovators at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have been inducted into the 2026 class of fellows of the American Physical Society, or APS. The fellowship recognizes APS members who have made advances in physics through original research and publication or made significant innovative contributions in the application of physics to science and technology. The fellowship also recognizes members who have made significant contributions to the teaching of physics or service and participation in APS activities. It is awarded to less than one-half of 1% of the APS’ 50,000 members.
This year’s fellows are Richard Schaller, Argonne senior scientist and group leader at the Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) and professor of chemistry at Northwestern University, and Katie Yurkewicz, Argonne chief communications officer and senior director of Communications and Public Affairs. The CNM is a DOE Office of Science user facility at Argonne.
Schaller is recognized “for investigations of semiconductor and plasmonic nanomaterials, including carrier multiplication, multiexciton photophysics and structural dynamics to discern fundamental processes and the limits of material performance.”
Schaller studies the fundamental optical and electronic behavior of nanoscale and condensed matter chemical and material systems with the goal of uncovering new phenomena relevant to energy conversion, electronics and quantum science. His research integrates time-resolved spectroscopy, X-ray science, materials discovery and interdisciplinary collaboration to better understand and discover desirable materials.
“I am deeply honored to be elected a fellow of the American Physical Society,” Schaller said. “This recognition is a reflection not only of my work but also of the exceptional colleagues, collaborators and research environment at Argonne, Northwestern and the University of Chicago. I am grateful to be part of institutions that foster interdisciplinary science, and I am pleased that our work in condensed matter physics is being recognized by APS.”
Yurkewicz is recognized “for promoting global peace through collaborative international scientific discovery and for advancing particle physics through tireless and inspired leadership of the communications groups of two large national laboratories.”
Originally trained as a nuclear physicist, Yurkewicz has dedicated more than two decades to science communication. Prior to joining Argonne, she spent 13 years working in science communication at DOE’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, including eight years as its head of communications. As Argonne’s chief communications officer, she leads strategic initiatives to ensure that the laboratory’s science and technology advances are understood, valued and supported by local, national and global audiences.
“As a physicist who found my calling in science communication, I am honored to be elected as an APS Fellow,” Yurkewicz said. “Science is strongest when it is deeply connected to the people it serves, and two-way communication between research institutions and society is essential to the success of the scientific endeavor. I’m grateful for the partners around the world who have joined me in collaborative science communication and appreciative to APS for recognizing the essential role of communication in the physical sciences.”
About Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials
The Center for Nanoscale Materials is one of the five DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers, premier national user facilities for interdisciplinary research at the nanoscale supported by the DOE Office of Science. Together the NSRCs comprise a suite of complementary facilities that provide researchers with state-of-the-art capabilities to fabricate, process, characterize and model nanoscale materials, and constitute the largest infrastructure investment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. The NSRCs are located at DOE’s Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge, Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. For more information about the DOE NSRCs, please visit https://science.osti.gov/User-Facilities/User-Facilities-at-a-Glance.
Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology by conducting leading-edge basic and applied research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.
