Seth Ariel Tongay

Seth Ariel Tongay (Hebrew: שת אריאל טונגאי) is an American-Jewish materials scientist and engineer internationally recognized for materials manufacturing of emergent semiconductors and quantum materials. He is the chair of Materials Science and Engineering at Arizona State University and serves as an associate editor at American Institute of Physics (AIP) Applied Physics Reviews and Nature 2D materials & applications by Nature.

Recognition
His work received several prestigious awards including one from the President of the United States Donald Trump Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers given to outstanding scientists and engineers in the U.S. by the White House. His work has resulted in prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award and Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World award. From 2019-2023, his work has seen him identified as one of the most influential researchers over the past decade by Clarivate Analytics and Web of Science. Google Scholar statistics independently identified him as one of the top 10 researchers in the world in the area of quantum materials and the top 50 in two-dimensional materials. He has participated in major government and state-level initiatives. In late 2023, the U.S. federal government selected his team within the White House initiative, the CHIPS Act, to initiate the development of manufacturing processes for next-generation semiconductors, catering to future electronics and infrared technologies. The State of Arizona has awarded the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative, which aims to develop innovative and manufacturable engineering solutions for accessing clean water.

Research and career
He studied materials physics at the University of Florida working with Prof. Dr. Arthur F. Hebard and a postdoctoral fellowship in materials science and engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford with Prof. Dr. Junqiao Wu. He is known for his patent integrating conductive graphene into flexible displays, solar cells, and touch screens. His notable and most cited work includes synthesis of 2D and quantum materials, 2D Janus materials, the discovery of quasi-1D materials including Rhenium disulfide (ReS₂), graphene-based high-power devices, and graphene solar cells. His research often uses alloying, defects engineering, dopants, and manufacturing techniques to create a new set of functionalities. His other seminal contributions include establishing the genome of defects in 2D quantum materials, 2D alloying, van der Waals epitaxy, the discovery of Moire excitons in 2Ds, and band alignment theory of 2D superlattices.

Awards and honors

 * 2010 Tom Scott Memorial Award by the University of Florida
 * 2015 Top Teaching Award by Arizona State University
 * 2016 The Scientist of the Year Award by Science Heroes Association
 * 2016 Top Engineering Faculty Teaching Award by Arizona State University
 * 2016 Top Teaching Award by Arizona State University
 * 2016 National Science Foundation CAREER Awards
 * 2017 Top Teaching Award by Arizona State University
 * 2017 Top Reviewer award by Chemistry of Materials American Chemical Society
 * 2018 Top Teaching Award by Arizona State University
 * 2019 Associate Editor at Applied Physics Reviews
 * 2019 World Nobel Laureates Association -Young Scientists Award
 * 2019 The Chair of Materials Science and Engineering Arizona State University
 * 2019 Top Teaching Award by Arizona State University
 * 2019 Highly Cited Researchers of 2019 by Web of Science and Clarivate Analytics
 * 2019 Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World – Academic Leadership and Accomplishment
 * 2019 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) awards
 * 2020 Highly Cited Researchers of the World (Web of Science and Clarivate Analytics)
 * 2021 Sigma Xi Full member
 * 2021 Highly Cited Researchers of the World (Web of Science and Clarivate Analytics)
 * 2021 Lamonte H. Lawrence Professor Fellow in Solid State Science
 * 2022 Top Teaching Award in Solid State Sciences and Engineering
 * 2019-2023 Highly Cited Researchers Award by Web of Science and Clarivate Analytics