The Neutron Scattering Society of America (NSSA) has announced its 2026 Fellows honoring 11 distinguished scientists from institutions such as the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and several leading universities for their significant contributions to neutron science.
The 2026 NSSA Fellows include four neutron science experts from ORNL: Andrew Christianson, Eugene Mamontov, Vasile Garlea and Erik Iverson.
“With the addition of this year’s four new NSSA Fellows from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we are proud to say that ORNL has now had a total of 21 scientists from our lab be honored by the NSSA Fellowship Committee since the inception of the Fellowship program,” said Jon Taylor, associate laboratory director for ORNL’s Neutron Sciences Directorate. “This recognition by such a prestigious scientific body as the NSSA underscores our Lab’s reputation as the world leader in the neutron sciences.”
The NSSA also announced its 2026 Clifford G. Shull Prize was awarded to Takeshi Egami, a University of Tennessee-ORNL Distinguished Scientist and Professor. The NSSA Shull prize is a biennial award recognizing outstanding research and leadership in the North American neutron scattering community. It honors Nobel Laureate Clifford G. Shull, who conducted pioneering neutron diffraction research right here in Oak Ridge. Egami was awarded for outstanding contributions to the use of neutrons to study local correlations in materials with disorder, developing novel methods of using neutrons for this purpose and mentoring the next generation of neutron scientists.
The Neutron Scattering Society of America was formed to provide a forum to discuss scientific issues, major facilities and instrumentation needed for world-class research in neutron scattering. The main goal of the Society is to stimulate, promote and broaden the use of neutron scattering in science, engineering and technology.
The 2026 NSSA award winners associated with ORNL include:
Andrew Christianson – For sustained neutron scattering studies that advanced the understanding of quantum materials, including quantum magnetism, unconventional superconductivity and emergent spin textures.
Vasile Garlea – For outstanding service to the magnetic diffraction and polarized neutron spectroscopy communities through instrument and technique development, collaboration, mentorship and education, leading to a deeper understanding of correlated and low-dimensional quantum magnetic systems.
Erik Iverson – For sustained contributions to the improvement of neutron sources and instrumentation through better understanding of neutronics and inspiring the emerging field of compact accelerator-driven neutron sources.
Eugene Mamontov – For insightful studies of dynamics in interfacial water and electrolytes, and helping expand the neutron scattering community.
The 2026 Fellows and other prize winners will be formally introduced in Detroit at the American Conference on Neutron Scattering, July 12-16, hosted by the NSSA.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science – Paul Boisvert
