Panče Naumov

Panče Naumov is a Professor of Chemistry at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and a Global Network Professor of Chemistry at NYU. He leads the Smart Materials Lab (SML) and directs the NYUAD Center for Smart Engineering Materials (CSEM). His research focuses on dynamic molecular crystals, materials science, and smart engineering materials, with significant contributions to self-healing crystals, photomechanical actuators, and bioinspired materials. Naumov holds a PhD from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and has held faculty roles at Osaka and Kyoto Universities.

His research group has secured over $15 million in funding and published 300+ papers. He mentors over 60 students annually and serves on editorial boards of journals like Angewandte Chemie and the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Awards include the HFSP Award (2011), Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Award (2015), and UAE Special Visa (2020).

Key research directions include:

• Self-healing and adaptive crystals
• Photomechanical and thermomechanical materials
• Bioluminescence mechanisms
• Energy-efficient desalination and water harvesting

His work bridges fundamental science and applied engineering, with applications in robotics, photonics, and sustainable technologies. Naumov is also a leader in scientific societies, including the Emirates Crystallographic Society and the International Union of Crystallography.