Physicist named Fellow in the American Physical Society

Royce K. P. Zia, of Blacksburg, Va., professor of physics in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, has been named a Fellow in the American Physical Society (APS).

According to the APS, Zia was honored for “seminal and sustained contributions to statistical physics, especially critical phenomena, interfacial properties and far-from-equilibrium phenomena.” APS guidelines state that each year no more than one-half of one percent of the current membership of the society is recognized by their peers in this fashion. The organization currently has approximately 46,000 members.

“Royce is internationally known for his highly creative and insightful contributions to physics, and this honor is more than well-deserved,” said physics department head Beate Schmittmann.

In addition to his many other accolades, Zia holds a lifetime Alexander von Humboldt Research Award for his work in the area of theoretical condensed matter physics, a discipline devoted to the understanding of the cooperative behavior in systems with large numbers of constituent particles.

Zia received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton and his doctorate degree from the Massachusetts Institute for Technology.

The APS was formed in 1899 and is the authoritative source for the advancement of physics. Today the organization collaborates with other national scientific societies for the advancement of science, science education and the scientific community. The organization also cooperates with international physics societies to promote physics, to support physicists worldwide and to foster international collaboration.