Top scientist will join
USC NanoCenter

Internationally recognized nano-science researcher Richard Webb will become the first scientist hired under South Carolina’s $30 million endowed professors program when he joins USC’s NanoCenter this summer.

Webb, a former physics professor at the University of Maryland, has managed the quantum electronics program at IBM Corporation’s T.J. Watson Laboratory. While there, he won three Outstanding Technical Achievement awards, the American Physical Society’s Buckley Prize, and the Simon Memorial Prize from Oxford University.

“Nanoelectronics is the most important frontier in electronics, and Dr. Webb is at the top of his field,” said Richard Adams, a USC chemistry professor and director of the Carolina NanoCenter. “Local companies such as Kemet and AVX as well as global companies such as Intel and IBM are interested in his research areas.”

Webb’s scientific accomplishments include fabricating some of the world’s smallest electronic circuits, which could lead to a new level of miniaturization of future electronic devices. Current products based on research in his field include sensors used in diagnosing heart problems, monitoring internal faults or wear in structures containing metal, and in military or other surveillance tasks.