Robert Cava facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Cava
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Cava in 2016
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| Born | 1951 (age 74–75) |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Solid-state chemistry |
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| Thesis | A study of the mobile ions in several binary fast ion conductors (1978) |
| Doctoral advisor | Bernhardt J. Wuensch |
| Doctoral students | Leslie Schoop |
| Other notable students | Hemamala Karunadasa |
Robert Joseph Cava (born in 1951) is a famous scientist who studies materials. He is a professor of chemistry at Princeton University. Before joining Princeton, Professor Cava worked at Bell Labs from 1979 to 1996. There, he was recognized as a top technical staff member. His research focuses on exciting materials like topological insulators, semimetals, and superconductors. He also studies frustrated magnets and materials that can turn heat into electricity, called thermoelectrics.
Contents
Becoming a Scientist: Robert Cava's Education
Robert Cava studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He earned two degrees, a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science, in Materials Science and Engineering in 1974. Later, in 1978, he completed his PhD in ceramics. His PhD research looked into how tiny charged particles, called ions, move inside special materials known as fast ion conductors. His professor, Bernhardt J. Wuensch, guided him during this important work.
Robert Cava's Amazing Research and Discoveries
Professor Cava has written over 500 scientific papers that have been checked by other experts. Many of these papers appeared in very important science magazines like Nature and Science. His work has been used and referenced by other scientists more than 30,000 times! One of his most important papers was about a material called Ba2YCu3O9−δ, also known as YBCO. This paper alone has been cited almost 1500 times. He also holds 15 patents, which means he has invented many new things.
Awards and Recognitions for His Work
Professor Cava has received many awards for his important contributions to science.
- In 1988, he became a fellow of the American Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society.
- In 2001, he was chosen as a Member of the National Academy of Sciences. This group recognized his amazing skill in creating new materials, especially those that can become superconductors at warmer temperatures.
- He won the Bernd T. Matthias Prize in 1996 for discovering new superconducting materials.
- In 2011, he received the Humboldt Prize.
- In 2012, he was honored with the Linus Pauling Award.
- The Gdańsk University of Technology in Poland gave him a special honorary degree in 2014.
- In 2021, he won the David Adler Lectureship Award in the Field of Materials Physics.
Besides his research, Professor Cava is also a great teacher. He has won several teaching awards, including the Excellence in Teaching Award from Princeton University in 2002. In 2016, he was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society, which is a very high honor.
Robert Cava's Life Outside the Lab
Robert Cava grew up in New York City. He is a big fan of the New York Yankees baseball team. When he's not doing science, he enjoys looking at the stars as an astronomer and making his own drinks as an amateur brewer.
Images for kids
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Professor Robert J. Cava during the ceremony of receiving the Doctor Honoris Causa degree from the Gdańsk University of Technology
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Professor Robert J. Cava and rector of the Gdańsk University of Technology, Professor Henryk Krawczyk, during the ceremony of receiving the Doctor Honoris Causa degree
