Two campus faculty members of the Materials Science and Engineering department have been named as American Physical Society, or APS, fellows.

APS fellow Lane Martin, a campus professor and chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, was elected for his contributions to the discipline of ferroelectrics. Kristin Persson, campus professor of materials science and engineering, was elected as a fellow for her work in data-driven materials design and developments in the Materials Project.

“From a personal point of view, it’s a wonderful validation of your efforts. For the department and for my students and for the campus, this is just another recognition of the scientific research leadership that we hope to have at Berkeley,” Martin said. “It helps add to the reputation, the credibility that we as a university, as a group have.”

The APS is a nonprofit membership organization of more than 50,000 members centered on spreading information about physics by publishing research journals, holding scientific meetings and conducting outreach.

According to APS spokesperson David Barnstone, up to 0.5% of the society’s membership is named a fellow every year.

Martin believes that the APS has been helpful to not only his research, but his personal journey as an academic.

“Historically it’s been a place for scientists to come together to engage and work together and get a snapshot of the latest and greatest things coming up in the field,” Martin said. “What you get out of being in these societies is the connections and the personal connections beyond papers.”

According to a Berkeley News article, Persson works on using high-performance computing technology to understand the physics and chemistry of materials.

Barnstone noted the importance of originality and applicability of the work of the fellows.

“The APS Fellowship Program was created to recognize members who may have made advances in physics through original research and publication, or made significant innovative contributions in the application of physics to science and technology,” Barnstone said in an email.

Martin added that he feels validated by the fellowship and is enthusiastic to continue working.

“Maybe we as scientists are not always the best at celebration, but it’s a kind of thing where people reflect and smile and we’re here again tomorrow and we will keep pushing the envelope,” Martin said.