Lucas Selected as Fellow of the American Ceramic Society

The American Ceramic Society selected MSE professor Pierre Lucas as a member of its 2023 Class of Fellows. ACerS Fellows are outstanding contributors to the field of ceramic sciences, or society members who have distinguished themselves through service to the organization.

Lucas is a perfect fit for both criteria, said Lisa Klein, an ACerS Fellow who nominated him for the award. He has held every leadership position in the society’s glass and optical materials division and organized meetings and conferences for over 15 years. Lucas is also a foremost expert in glass, Klein said.

Lucas earned his bachelor’s in chemistry from the University of Rennes in France and directed the International Associated Laboratory for Materials and Optics at the French National Center for Scientific Research for eight years. He earned his doctorate in physical chemistry from Arizona State University in 1999 and joined the University of Arizona faculty in 2001.

He became fascinated with glass while completing his doctoral work.

“It’s because you can shape it. You can draw it into fibers – compress them, heat them, press them into any shape you want,” he said, then added. “It sounds very easy when I say it like that, but it’s not. There’s a complicated science associated with controlling all that.”