Vietnamese American scientist wins 2023 Wilhelm Exner Medal

The Austria Trade Association recently honored scientist Nguyen Thuc Quyen, a Vietnamese American, for her significant contributions to the advancement of organic solar cells.

Quyan made history as the first Vietnamese to be both nominated for and awarded the prestigious Wilhelm Exner Award, Vietnamnet Global reports.

The accolade, presented in Vienna, Austria, recognizes researchers whose scientific accomplishments and contributions have had a direct impact on businesses and industries. Since its establishment over a century ago, the award has been awarded to 241 scientists and inventors, including 23 recipients of the Nobel Prize.

Prof. Nguyen Thuc Quyen has been actively engaged in both research and teaching at the University of California Santa Barbara’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry since 2004, where she serves as the Director of the Center for Polymers and Organic Solids (CPOS).

Her research primarily revolves around organic electronic devices, encompassing areas such as optoelectronics, LED lights, and field-effect transistor-based biosensors.

One of the key focuses of her research is the advancement of organic solar cells, which differentiate themselves from other types of solar cells due to the utilization of plastics and the capacity to be easily produced as thin films using industrial printing methods.

Her outstanding contributions have gained global recognition, as she among the top 1% of material science researchers worldwide, as reported by Reuters news agency and Clarivate Analytics. Additionally, in 2023, she was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering in the United States.

Quyen and her UCSB colleague Carlos G. Levi were recently named new members of the National Academy of Engineering.