Northeastern University Professors Awarded Outstanding Referees by American Physical Society

Inaugural program recognizes lifetime of work

Northeastern University professors Jeffrey Sokoloff and Robert Markiewicz have been recognized as Outstanding Referees by the American Physical Society (APS). Instituted in 2008, the highly selective Outstanding Referee Program recognizes scientists who have been exceptionally helpful in assessing manuscripts for publication in the APS journals.

"I am pleased that professors Sokoloff and Markiewicz have been distinguished as Outstanding Referees in recognition of their many contributions to the American Physical Society journals. The APS is the most prestigious national society in the field of Physics, and the university is proud of their achievements," said Srinivas Sridhar, Distinguished Professor of Physics, Physics Department Chair and Vice Provost for Research at Northeastern University.

The selection of Outstanding Referees was based on two decades of database records on over 50,000 referees who have been called upon to review manuscripts, of which 33,000 were submitted in 2007. Most of the referees chosen in this inaugural year have given dedicated service for many years. The basis for choosing the 534 honorees was the quality, number, and timeliness of their reports, without regard for membership in the APS, country of origin, or field of research.

Under the new program, each year APS journal editors will choose for recognition a number of referees based on the number, timeliness, and quality of their referee reports. APS will recognize about 130 referees annually, or about one half of one percent of the referees in its database of active referees.

At Northeastern, Sokoloff’s work deals with theoretical studies of wear­less friction between solid surfaces. The methods of study involve both analytic methods based on scaling theory, numerical model studies and simulations. The combined use of these methods allows scientists at the university to gain insights which would be impossible to obtain with one method alone.

Professor Markiewicz’s current theoretical research involves new high-temperature cuprate superconductors. He works closely with Professor Arun Bansil in analyzing a variety of spectroscopies, including photoemission, x-ray scattering, and scanning tunneling microscopy, to attain a better understanding of the electronic properties of these unusual materials.

For more information, please contact Samantha Fodrowski at 617-373-5427 or at s.fodrowski@neu.edu.

About Northeastern

Founded in 1898, Northeastern University is a private research university located in the heart of Boston.  Northeastern is a leader in interdisciplinary research, urban engagement, and the integration of classroom learning with real-world experience. The university’s distinctive cooperative education program, where students alternate semesters of full-time study with semesters of paid work in fields relevant to their professional interests and major, is one of the largest and most innovative in the world.  The University offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degrees through the doctorate in six undergraduate colleges, eight graduate schools, and two part-time divisions.  For more information, please visit www.northeastern.edu.

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