Shcherbakov Named Blavatnik Regional Awards Finalist

Sept. 23, 2021 – Maxim Shcherbakov, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, is a finalist for the 2021 Blavatnik Regional Awards for Young Scientists in the physical sciences and engineering category.

Sponsored by the Blavatnik Family Foundation with guidance from the New York Academy of Sciences, the awards honor outstanding postdoctoral scientists from academic research institutions across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Shcherbakov was nominated by Cornell University, where he worked as a postdoctoral researcher before coming to UCI this fall.  

Shcherbakov is an optical physicist who works with a special class of artificial materials, known as semiconductor metamaterials, that manipulate light. He has used common semiconductor materials, like silicon and germanium, to engineer metamaterials that display new optical properties. With discoveries including the first experimental observation of photon acceleration that changes the frequency of light, Shcherbakov’s research will impact technologies from telecommunications to quantum computing.

As a finalist, Shcherbakov will receive $10,000. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Blavatnik Regional Awards winners and finalists will be honored at the 2022 New York Academy of Sciences Annual Gala.

– Tonya Becerra