Munir Nayfeh is an atomic physicist renowned for his groundbreaking work in nanotechnology. From Shwaikeh/Tulkarem, he grew up in Irbid, Jordan, and Ramallah/Al-Bireh. He received his BSc/MSc from the American University of Beirut and his PhD from Stanford University. He was a postdoc at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a lecturer at Yale University, and a consultant at the Argonne National Laboratory, and is currently a professor at the University of Illinois. He has chaired and served as adviser on numerous panels of the major institutions involved in nanotechnology in cities throughout Saudi Arabia, at the Nanotechnology Center of An-Najah University, Nablus, Palestine, and at Saigon Hi-Tech Park, Vietnam.
Dr. Nayfeh co-authored Electricity and Magnetism (also translated into Farsi and Arabic), co-edited three books on laser technology, and is the author of the book Fundamentals and Applications of Nano Silicon in Plasmonics and Fullerenes. He presents science-fiction stories, using the trademark “Dr. Nano,” to simplify nanotechnology for children.
In the field of nanotechnology, Dr. Nayfeh has developed breakthrough imprints by developing detection and writing of single atoms on surfaces. Thus, he expressed his love for Palestine by drawing one of the smallest graffiti in the world in the form of “heart-P,” which was featured on the cover of the British New Scientist. He has made silicon (the dullest material in the universe and backbone of the electronics industry) glow by dispersing it into ultra-bright nanoparticles. This technique enables the integration of electronics and optics as well as advanced low-cost devices to be used in poor and remote areas, with diverse applications from harvesting solar energy and lighting to early detection and treatment of acute diseases, such as cancer or cacogenic disease (hereditary diseases).
Dr. Nayfeh holds the largest number of patents in nanosilicon worldwide (23 US-Europe, 22 issued). He is founder-chief-officer of three nanotechnology companies – NanoSi Advanced Technologies (USA), Nano Silicon Solar (USA), and Parasat-Nanosi (Kazakhstan) – and has been the president of the Network of Arab Scientists and Technologists Abroad, whose members are of Arab origin and work in industrial countries with the mission to accelerate strategies and technology development in Arab and OIC countries. He received the Beckman, AT&T, Industrial 100, and Energy 100 Awards.
Dr. Nayfeh has three sons, two daughters, and ten grandchildren, and in his free time enjoys playing soccer and basketball with the family’s team.