Posted on December 14, 2001 at 10:17 a.m.
BIRMINGHAM, AL — Yogesh K. Vohra, Ph.D., professor of physics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics has been named a UAB University Scholar.
A University Scholar is a faculty member who has demonstrated an extremely high level of scholarship within his/her area of expertise and has been recognized nationally and internationally by their peers. Nominations are made from within the university and must have provost and presidential approval.
Vohra is an internationally known physicist and is an expert in the field of synthetic diamonds and diamond coatings. He patented a process in May 1997 to grow synthetic diamonds by combining methane and hydrogen gases with high-powered microwaves. Most recently, in February 2001, Vohra and UAB researcher Shane Aaron Catledge were issued a patent for a process they developed that produces a smooth nanostructured diamond films that can be deposited on metals.
“I am honored that the administration has chosen me for such a prestigious distinction,” Vohra said. “This award is a tribute to the support I receive from the administration and to the hard work of all of my graduate and undergraduate students. I am also grateful for the support from all of my colleagues. The successes we have seen in our research belong not just to me, but to all of my students and colleagues that have worked on the projects.”
In addition to his duties as a physics professor, Vohra is an adjunct professor in the materials and mechanical engineering department in the UAB School of Engineering. He is the program director of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Physics program, director of Graduate Studies in Physics and campus director for the Alabama Space Grant Consortium.
Vohra received the Research Creativity Award from the National Science Foundation in 2000 and was named a Chartered and Fellow Physicist of the Institute of Physics of the United Kingdom in 2001. Vohra has published more than 150 research papers in notable journals, including Nature, Physical Review Letters, Applied Physics Letters, the Journal of Materials Research and Physical Review, and he is on the editorial board of the Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.
“Dr. Vohra’s work speaks for itself,” said James McClintock, Ph.D., dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. “He has distinguished himself as an outstanding physicist and leader in the fields of materials and high-pressure physics. He has published numerous publications in highly respected scientific journals, and his numerous invitations to speak at scientific conferences is an indication of the respect he has garnered from his academic peers. His contribution to UAB, as well as his commitment to his students and to the advancement of physics, makes him one of the top physicists in his field.”