2021 Samuel Wesley Stratton Award

Dr. Stiles is recognized for outstanding scientific achievements in the theory of nanoscale magnetism.  His seminal publications on exchange coupling and spin transfer torque helped launch the burgeoning field of spintronics and provided key insights leading to the technological developments of giant magnetoresistance for hard disk read heads and magnetic tunnel junctions for nonvolatile computer memory.  These technologies underpin the extraordinary growth in information technology that has occurred over the past two decades. Dr. Stiles’ work represents exceptional support of NIST’s mission in advancing these areas.  He continues his outstanding work today by applying his expertise in spintronics to hardware for artificial intelligence.