Gregory J Exarhos

Dr. Gregory J Exarhos serves as a Lab Fellow and Associate Director within the Chemical and Materials Sciences Division at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), where he leads the Materials Sciences group. He also holds an Adjunct Professor position in Physics at Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, WA, and serves on the Board of Visitors for the College of Sciences and Engineering at WSU.

Dr. Exarhos earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Brown University and his A.B. in Chemistry, magna cum laude (with a Physics minor), from Lawrence University. His academic background forms the foundation for his extensive research career in advanced materials science.

Dr. Exarhos specializes in developing innovative approaches for the deposition and modification of dielectric films, with particular expertise in structure/property relationships in transparent conducting oxides. His research encompasses inorganic polymer design, synthesis, and characterization, as well as the preparation of molecularly architectured nanocomposite materials. His pioneering materials processing approaches have been internationally recognized and have opened new avenues in optical coatings, nano-architectured materials, multifunctional ceramics, and hybrid polymer composites.

Analysis of Dr. Exarhos's recent publications reveals a strong focus on advanced materials for energy applications, particularly battery technologies (lithium-sulfur and sodium-ion systems), novel nanocomposites, and optical materials. His research demonstrates expertise in characterization techniques including NMR spectroscopy and in situ Raman studies, with applications spanning energy storage, optical coatings, and porous materials.

• R&D100 award (1992)
• Federal Laboratory Consortium award (1993)
• R.F. Bunshah Award from Advanced Surface Engineering Division, AVS (2002)
• Eight patents in ceramic oxide powders and thin film technology
• Fellow of American Vacuum Society
• Fellow of American Ceramic Society
• Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science

Dr. Exarhos has served in numerous leadership roles including President of the American Vacuum Society (2008-2010), Chair of the Long-Range Planning Committee for AVS, and service on the AVS Board of Directors. He has been instrumental in scientific community development, launching the BIOINTERPHASES journal for AVS and serving as North American Editor for the journal VACUUM. At PNNL, he coordinates fundamental materials sciences projects funded through the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering.

As Laboratory Coordinator for DOE-funded materials science projects, Dr. Exarhos leads research programs dealing with defects in TCO films, growth of hierarchically ordered composite materials, in situ Raman studies of materials under extreme conditions, nonlinear optical materials, and studies of pulsed laser-solid interactions. His work bridges fundamental science with practical applications, particularly in energy-related technologies.