Paul Weiss

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This article is about the nanoscientist. For other uses, see Paul Weiss (disambiguation).

Paul S. Weiss

Born	October 10, 1959 (1959-10-10) (age 48)
Residence	State College, Pennsylvania
Citizenship	U.S. Citizen
Fields	Nanoscience
Doctoral advisor	Yuan T. Lee
Notes Extended information available on Weiss' biography page.

Paul S. Weiss is a leading nanoscientist at the Pennsylvania State University. He holds numerous positions, including Distinguished Professor of Physics and Chemistry, and committee membership on professional organizations relating to physics/chemistry. Weiss has co-authored over 180 research publications and US patents. He is married to and collaborates with Anne Andrews, an Assistant Professor of Molecular Toxicology in the Penn State Neuroscience Institute.

[edit] Research

The Weiss Research Group specializes in "gaining atomic-scale understanding and control of materials properties." Scanning probe microscopy, including atomic force microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy, is used as primary instrumentation to image/interrogate surfaces with novel and unexpected properties. Secondary instrumentation is used to characterize surfaces on a macroscopic level. Projects are interdisplinary in nature, between the fields of quantum physics, computer science, chemistry, neurochemistry, electrical engineering, and nanolithography.

The Weiss Group has traditionally focused on understanding and controlling chemistry and materials at the smallest scales. They showed how atoms and molecules communicate through substrates on which they sit at greater than chemical distances. They have exploited self-assembled monolayers as well-defined environments to isolate single molecules for measurements of electron transport, as a means to improve nanofabrication techniques, and as a way to isolate probe molecules on biospecific capture surfaces. The group has now diversified to encompass projects that have wide-ranging impact in the field of nanoscience.

The Weiss Group, of approximately 30 members, is funded from multiple sponsors.