2023 Revelle Medalist: Lu Jeu Sham

The Revelle Medal is the highest honor given by the chancellor to a retired or emeriti UC San Diego faculty member.

A world-renowned theoretical physicist, Lu Jeu Sham first came to UC San Diego in 1963 as a postdoctoral scholar. During his time here, he worked with many notable researchers, including Walter Kohn. Together, they created the famous Kohn-Sham equation, which laid the foundation for density functional theory (DFT). This equation made computations of complex material properties possible and has transformed the way quantum materials research was performed. DFT has had long-lasting implications across science and medicine, particularly in new materials design and drug discovery. In addition to his groundbreaking physics research, Sham also served as chair of the Department of Physics and dean of the Division of Physical Sciences. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and Academia Sinica, Taiwan. Among his many distinguished accomplishments, he has been named a Guggenheim Fellow, a Bernd T. Matthias Scholar and a fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Society for Advancement of Science and the Optical Society of America. He also received a Lamb Medal for Laser Science and Quantum Optics.