Saw Wai Hla, Ph.D., is a professor of physics and astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences and the director of the Nanoscale Quantum Phenomena Institute (NQPI). He is also a scientist in the Nanoscience and Technology Division at Argonne National Laboratory.
Hla’s research is focused on nano and quantum sciences using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), synchrotron x-ray STM and atomic/molecular manipulation. He is a world leading researcher in the areas of STM single molecule manipulations, single molecule spintronics, and molecular machines on surfaces. He is widely published and has given more than 140 talks around the world on his research work.
Hla is recognized internationally for his research work, including his groundbreaking discovery as the first scientist in the world to capture an image of a single atom using an X-ray. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the 2024 Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year Laureate for Physical Sciences. You can read more about Hla and his research in this OHIO Today article.