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Characterizing Membrane Fouling with Operando Experiments

Membrane filtration offers a cost-effective, energy-efficient approach to purify and desalinate water, but fouling limits the performance of these devices. A new study explored the new experimental design that allows one to study the dynamic fouling process in real time to improve the field’s understanding of how materials deposit, accumulate, and/or crystallize on the membrane’s surface. Read more »

Sharks Shed Light on Origins of Adaptive Immune System

A team of researchers identified the three-dimensional structure of a protein expressed by a gene of a modern nurse shark that is proposed to be a close homologue to a gene that, more than 500 million years ago, gave rise to the adaptive immune system shared by all vertebrates. By understanding the emergence and evolution of the immune system, researchers may advance work in immunology, genetics, and biotechnology. Read more »

Martin Kunz, Nobumichi Tamura, and Simon Teat Receive 2025 Shirley Award

The ALS Users’ Executive Committee recognized beamline scientists Nobumichi Tamura, Martin Kunz, and Simon Teat as the 2025 Shirley Award recipients. At the recent User Meeting, they presented a talk on their development of the Sector 12 hard x-ray diffraction program and the cold cases they’ve been able to solve. Read more »

Greg Hura, SIBYLS Team Receive Halbach Award

Greg Hura and the Structurally Integrated BiologY for the Life Sciences (SIBYLS) team received the 2025 Klaus Halbach Award for Innovative Instrumentation at the recent 2025 User Meeting “for their pioneering work in developing the time-resolved, high-throughput, small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) technique at Beamline 12.3.1.” Read more »

Designing Quantum Materials for Future Electronics

Researchers bring theory into practice and confirm a new material’s characteristics at the ALS. The study opens new opportunities to design a substance that renders extra “handles” on the electron—not just its charge, but its spin and valley—so we can build computers that are faster, cooler, and more energy-efficient compared to traditional electronics. Read more »

Berkeley Lab Director Witherell Retirement, June 2026

Dr. Michael S. Witherell announced his intention to retire in Spring 2026 from his position as director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory after nearly a decade of service. Witherell’s leadership has strengthened the Lab’s position as a world-leading institution for breakthrough science and energy solutions for the nation. Read more »

Pinpointing Magnetic Mysteries and Mechanisms in a Layered Perovskite

The strontium ruthenate family has a perovskite-like structure that can assemble into different configurations, offering an ideal way to study how the physics change as the material goes from 3D to 2D. In this study, researchers revealed how electrons with different spins behave in distinct layers of a three-layer magnetic material. The results deepen the field’s understanding of how magnetism emerges in layered materials, an important concept for future magnetic technologies and quantum electronic devices. Read more »PPT-icon-35

2025 ACS Early Investigator Award for Greg Su

Staff Scientist Greg Su has been selected for an Early Investigator award by the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE). Attendees of the 2025 ACS Fall Meeting will be able to hear Su’s award seminar on Wednesday, August 20. Read more »