UT-ORNL Materials Science Distinguished Professor Takeshi Egami has been awarded the 2026 Clifford G. Shull Prize, the highest honor bestowed by the Neutron Scattering Society of America. 

Egami was selected for his outstanding contributions to the use of neutrons to study local correlations in materials with disorder, the development of novel methods to use neutrons for this purpose, and the mentorship of the next generation of neutron scientists.  

Egami is the first faculty member from the University of Tennessee to receive the Shull Prize, which was established in 2002 to recognize outstanding research in neutron science and leadership promoting the North American neutron scattering community. The biennial prize is named in honor of Clifford G. Shull, who received the Nobel Prize in 1994 with Bertram Brockhouse for seminal developments in the field of neutron science. 

“I am delighted and humbled with this honor,” Egami said. “It is a high honor to join the group of great past participants of this award.” 

Shull was a professor at MIT, but his work was done at nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory. ORNL has a Clifford G. Shull Fellowship Program, and two neutron scattering facilities.  

“To operate such vast facilities requires hard work by a large number of support staffs, whose dedication and skills we depend upon. We and neutron users are always 

thankful to their effort,” Egami said. “Neutron scattering sounds esoteric, but the scientific knowledge neutron scattering produces forms the basis for science and technology that can change and improve our life.” 

Egami was presented with his award at the American Conference on Neutron Scattering on July 13 in Detroit, Michigan. The prize consists of a $5,000 honorarium and a plaque. He was invited to present a plenary talk at the conference.  

Contact

Rhiannon Potkey ([email protected])