A Symposium Celebrating Nobel Laureate Alan Heeger's 90th Birthday
Dr. Alan J. Heeger
Professor of Physics and Materials Science
2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
"For the discovery and development of conductive polymers"
Professor Alan J. Heeger was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000 for his groundbreaking discovery that plastics can exhibit metallic and semiconducting properties, a finding that launched the field of semiconducting and metallic polymers and organic electronics. Since joining UC Santa Barbara in 1982, he co-founded together with Professor Fred Wudl and served as director of the Institute for Polymers and Organic Solids (IPOS, now the Center for Polymers and Organic Solids), building UCSB into a world leader in materials and condensed matter research.
Over the course of his career, Professor Heeger has made transformative contributions to the fields of organic electronics, OLEDs, photovoltaics, and biosensors, with his research paving the way for technologies ranging from flexible displays to solar cells and lightweight electronic devices. His distinguished career has earned him numerous international recognitions, including an elected member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. In 2003, the University of California honored him with a Presidential Chair, a distinction reserved for the system’s most eminent faculty members.
Alan Heeger has also authored more than 1000 scientific publications, holds over 50 patents, and co-founded several companies, including UNIAX Corporation (acquired by DuPont in 2000), CBrite Inc., Cynvenio, and Cytomx Therapeutics. His many awards include the Oliver E. Buckley Prize for Condensed Matter Physics and the Balzan Prize for the Science of New Materials, along with honorary doctorates from universities across the United States, Europe, and Asia.
A SYMPOSIUM CELEBRATING NOBEL LAUREATE ALAN HEEGER'S 90th BIRTHDAY
In recognition of his extraordinary impact, a special symposium will be held to celebrate Professor Heeger’s 90th birthday. The event will bring together internationally leading scientists working in organic semiconductors, highlighting both his legacy and global impact, as well as the vibrant future it continues to shape.
Thursday, January 29th, 2026 / Corwin Pavilion/ University of California, Santa Barbara
Organizers:
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Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, Director of CPOS, quyen@chem.ucsb.edu
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Fred Wudl, Professor Emeritus, Chemistry, wudl@chem.ucsb.edu
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Craig Hawker, Distinguished Professor, Materials, hawker@mrl.ucsb.edu
Sponsors:
- California NanoSystems Institute - UC Santa Barbara
- Rhombus Power
- Materials Research Laboratory - UC Santa Barbara
- 1-Material (ONE=Organic Nano Electronic)
SPEAKERS |
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Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona |
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Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University and SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory |
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School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Tech |
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Molecular Materials and Nanosystems and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology and Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research |
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State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Energy & Information Polymer Materials, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology |
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Laboratory of Advanced Optoelectronic Materials, Suzhou Key Laboratory of Novel Semiconductor-optoelectronics Materials and Devices, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University and CAS Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences |
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College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University |
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Precision Immunology Institute, Translational Transplant Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. Department of Medicine, Comprehensive Transplant Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. Ronald Reagan Medical Center, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles. |
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Center for Neural Science, New York University |
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Institute of Physical Chemistry and Linz Institute for Organic Solar Cells, Johannes Kepler University Linz |
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Stanford University | |
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GIST, Organic Semiconductors & Photonics Laboratory | |
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Department of Physics (Cavendish Laboratory) at the University of Cambridge |
