Parsons receives 2014 RJ Reynolds Award

Dr. Gregory Parsons, Alcoa Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and director of the Nanotechnology Initiative at North Carolina State University, has been selected as the 30^th recipient of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Award for Excellence in Teaching, Research and Extension. Parsons delivered an award lecture Monday, Nov. 24, at the Larry K. Monteith Engineering Research Center on NC State’s Centennial Campus. His lecture was entitled “Understanding Thin Film Materials: Deflecting Pauli’s Devil.”

The award was established in 1981 within the College of Engineering to honor a member of the engineering faculty who has demonstrated superiority in several areas of activity that relate to the University’s three-fold mission of teaching, research and extension. The annual award is supported by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company through the NC State Engineering Foundation to recognize scientific and educational achievements in fields of engineering. The recipient is given a $25,000 prize distributed over five years.

Parsons is widely recognized as a world leader in the field of thin-film electronic materials, especially in the growing field of atomic layer deposition (ALD). His work has led to basic understanding of new materials and thin film deposition processes, in particular for applications in fiber-based protective systems for the U.S. Department of Defense; improved performance of photoelectrochemical solar energy conversion systems; and new approaches for semiconductor device manufacturing.

Parsons was cited for his pioneering efforts in the area of ALD on polymer fibers and groundbreaking work in ALD integration with molecular dyes and catalysts for solar photovoltaic and solar fuel applications.

He has authored more than 200 publications, has given more than 150 invited presentations and has received four U.S. patents. He has more than 3,100 citations and an h-index of 31.

He currently has 11 research projects supported by a variety of funding sources, including the U.S. Army, the National Science Foundation and various industry groups. Other funded projects focus on ALD for advanced semiconductor manufacturing and ALD for mitigating nanomaterial health risks.

Parsons joined the NC State faculty in 1992. In 1995, as an assistant professor, he developed the Electronic Materials Option curriculum, the first undergraduate curriculum option in electronic materials in the U.S. In 2003, he created the department’s nanoscience option, which includes topics ranging from nanoscale materials to organic and polymeric materials.

Today, Parsons serves as inaugural director of the NC State Nanotechnology Initiative, which was established in 2006. He is responsible for coordinating cross-campus nanotechnology-related activities and expanding external visibility for nanotechnology efforts off campus.

Parsons has also helped to build research partnerships in the Research Triangle Park community. In 2012, he began a two-year part-time appointment as Visiting Senior Fellow and NC State Liaison at the Research Triangle Institute (RTI). The position was created to improve NC State’s communication with RTI and to also improve research collaboration. During his appointment, Parsons proposed and created the RTI University Scholars Program, which supports university faculty who wish to pursue scholarly leave at RTI.

While Parsons maintains several leadership roles, he has kept mentoring and advising at the forefront of his mission. Since 2003, he has been an undergraduate advisor for students enrolled in the department’s nanoscience option. Additionally, his current research group includes 12 Ph.D. students, three postdoctoral students, one research staff member and eight undergraduate researchers. Twenty-two Ph.D. students, 15 postdoctoral students and more than 50 B.S. students have completed research study in his group.

His many honors and awards include being named a Fellow of the American Vacuum Society in 2005 and receiving the Alcoa Foundation Distinguished Engineering Research Award and NC State Outstanding Teacher Award in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Additionally, he is a member of several professional societies, including the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Sigma Xi and the American Vacuum Society. He was named the Alcoa Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at NC State in 2009.

In 2012, Parsons was named a recipient of the inaugural Chancellor’s Innovation Fund Award. The result: a technology license from NC State to VaporPulse Technologies, a start-up company launched from Parsons’ lab. He continues to work with VaporPulse Technologies and its partners to explore new ways that ALD reactions and processes can be used to improve existing products.

He received his bachelor’s degree in physics from the State University of New York, College of Geneseo in 1980 and his Ph.D. in physics from NC State in 1990.

Throughout his career, Parsons has been a leader in a cutting-edge field while ensuring that he brought back the latest knowledge to his peers and students. His commitment to excellence in his field makes him a deserving recipient of the R.J. Reynolds Award.