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Professor and Department Chair Charles Musgrave is the recipient of the 2020 Boulder Faculty Assembly Excellence Award for Research, Scholarly and Creative Work, awarded earlier this semester.

“The BFA Excellence award means a lot to me because it is the recognition several of my colleagues I respect have been awarded for their research success,” Musgrave said. “It is also a recognition of the efforts of my research group students over the years, as they have striven for excellence and set the standard of how to conduct research at the highest levels.”

This award recognizes outstanding faculty research contributions “of the highest quality,” with an emphasis on interdisciplinary work or long-term achievement in a field of research. Musgrave was nominated this past January by Tisone Professor and Dean Emeritus Robert H. Davis.

“Charles Musgrave is one of the leading figures in developing and applying theory to materials science and engineering problems,” Davis said in his nomination letter. “His fundamental and applied contributions in this research are visionary, crosscutting and highly significant to multiple areas of science and engineering.”

Davis cited a number of research areas in which Musgrave has been an innovator and leader, including his use of quantum simulations as applied to Atomic Layer Deposition technology, quantum chemistry leveraged in the study of organic functionalization of semiconductor surfaces, and first-principle quantum mechanics research into renewable and sustainable energy and the development and improvement of functional materials.

Musgrave’s chemical engineering research utilizes tools from a variety of disciplines, including chemistry, photochemistry and photophysics and materials science, with an emphasis on the use of computational tools and first-principle quantum mechanics.

Over the course of his career, he has developed an excellent record of published peer-reviewed papers, including many appearing in high-impact journals like Science and Nature Communications. His research frequently includes collaboration with graduate and undergraduate students alike, demonstrating his commitment to developing young scientists and engineers.

The nomination was also supported by letters from Denver Business Challenge Professor Will Medlin and Sears Professor Alan Weimer of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Westwater Professor Emeritus Edmund Seebauer of the University of Illinois, Professor Emeritus Yves Chabal of the University of Texas at Dallas, and Professor and Director Kuo-Wei Huang of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

Musgrave credited the department’s research-focused working environment as a key contributor to his research achievements.

“This award indicates that the department has been successful in hiring outstanding faculty and supporting them so that they and their groups can be leaders in their research fields,” he said. “It also indicates that the department recruits and develops fantastic graduate students who are passionate about their research.”

Musgrave recently accepted the position of associate dean for graduate education with the College of Engineering and Applied Science. He will conclude his time as department chair on July 1.

The Boulder Faculty Assembly Awards “recognize outstanding work and a concerted effort to make advances in the academy” and are financially supported by the chancellor.

Find a full list of the awardees for 2020 here.