Physicist Earns One of State’s Highest Scientific Honors

Dr. Mohan D. Aggarwal, professor of physics in the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics at Alabama A&M University, has been elevated to Fellow of the Alabama Academy of Science, one of the state’s highest recognitions for scientific achievement and service.

Aggarwal will be formally recognized at the 103rd Alabama Academy of Science Annual Meeting, Feb. 27–28 at Faulkner University in Montgomery. Fellowship is awarded annually to members who have made outstanding contributions to science and demonstrated meritorious service to the organization. Once conferred, the designation is held for life.

Founded in 1924, the Academy has named only a limited number of Fellows over its century-long history. With this elevation, Aggarwal joins two other Alabama A&M physicists — Dr. Arjun Tan and Dr. Matthew Edwards — in earning the distinction.

For more than four decades, Aggarwal has helped shape the scientific landscape at AAMU. He joined the University in 1981 as a postdoctoral research associate working on the NASA Spacelab-3 program, contributing to space flight experiments designed to grow crystals in microgravity. In 1983, he was appointed assistant professor of physics, beginning a teaching and research career spanning more than 40 years.

“I taught graduate courses for the master’s program in physics that initiated in 1981,” Aggarwal said. “I also worked in proposal writing to bring the doctoral program in physics, and we were successful in getting our first Ph.D. program approved in 1986.”

Alabama A&M University was among the earliest historically Black colleges and universities to establish a Ph.D. program in physics. Since its inception, the department has produced more than 100 Ph.D. graduates, including Dr. Shelia Nash-Stevenson, the first African American woman in Alabama to earn a Ph.D in physics, who now serves at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

“All our Ph.D. graduates are gainfully employed,” Aggarwal said. “At present, I am teaching undergraduate courses that help us recruit and attract more students into the physics major.”

Aggarwal was promoted to associate professor in 1986 and to full professor in 1993. He served as chair of the physics department from 2001 to 2011 and as chair of the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics from 2011 to 2019, overseeing significant growth in enrollment, research productivity and doctoral output.

A prolific scholar, Aggarwal has secured approximately $12 million in research funding from federal agencies including the National Science Foundation, NASA and the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. He has led or co-led 22 research proposals and contracts and served as major advisor to eight doctoral students, in addition to mentoring numerous master’s graduates.

His research spans crystal growth of nonlinear optical materials, microgravity research, solid-state devices, ion implantation, infrared materials, piezoelectric materials and structural health monitoring. He has authored approximately 275 peer-reviewed publications, four books, two patents and five NASA technical memoranda, and helped design and fabricate major research facilities at the University.

Among his notable initiatives was the $8 million NSF-funded Alliance for Physics Excellence from 2012 to 2018, which trained approximately 78 high school physics teachers across Alabama. He currently serves as co-investigator on a $1.43 million NSF Noyce project, “Preparing STEM graduates for effective teaching and enhancing student learning in science and mathematics,” which runs through July 2026.

Aggarwal earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Calcutta in 1974. He completed post-master’s work at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, earned a master’s degree in physics from the University of Roorkee in 1968 and a bachelor’s degree with honors in mathematics from Panjab University in 1966. Prior to joining AAMU, he held a postdoctoral appointment at Pennsylvania State University.

A member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Vacuum Society, Sigma Xi, the Materials Research Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Aggarwal has built a career defined by scholarship, mentorship and service.

“This recognition is a testament to Dr. Aggarwal’s profound impact on our institution and the broader scientific community,” said Dr. Padmaja “Paddy” Guggilla, professor and chair of the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. “His contributions to Alabama A&M University are both vast and enduring, spanning over four decades of dedicated service. Beyond his leadership, Dr. Aggarwal is one of the most popular physics teachers at Alabama A&M. To be named a Fellow is a fitting tribute to a career defined by excellence, mentorship and dedicated service.”

Dr. Matthew Edwards, President and Lifetime Fellow of the Alabama Academy of Science and a longtime colleague in the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, emphasized the significance of the honor.

“Dr. Aggarwal most certainly deserves this elevation to Fellow of the Alabama Academy of Science,” said Edwards. “His distinguished scholarly contributions and dedicated service to the sciences exemplify the highest standards of the Academy. His groundbreaking research in crystal growth, combined with his academic leadership, will have a lasting impact for decades to come. Generations of students have benefited from his mentorship and professional engagement at AAMU and through his work with the Alabama Academy of Science. I am confident that, as a Fellow, he will represent the Academy with great distinction.”

Beyond research and administration, Aggarwal says teaching remains central to his mission.

“I enjoy brainstorming new ways to teach a physics topic so that our students are not only prepared but motivated to advance in STEM careers,” he said. “This honor fills me with humility and makes me humbler and grateful. In fact, this honor encourages me to serve better.”