Jeffrey Derby Presents Frank Prize Lecture at ICCGE-21

CEMS Distinguished McKnight University Professor Jeffrey J. Derby delivered the Frank Prize keynote lecture at the 21st International Conference on Crystal Growth and Epitaxy (ICCGE-21), held August 3–8, 2025 in Xi’an, China.

The Frank Prize, awarded triennially by the International Organization for Crystal Growth (IOCG), is named after the organization’s first president, renowned materials scientist Sir F. Charles Frank. The honor recognizes “significant fundamental (not necessarily theoretical) contributions to the field of crystal growth.” Derby was a 2025 co-recipient of the prize with Professor Koichi Kakimoto of Kyushu University, Japan.

Derby’s keynote, “‘Seeing what is hidden by what we see’ via crystal growth modeling,” explored how mathematical modeling and numerical simulation make it possible to understand, or “see,” many behaviors in crystal growth systems that are otherwise hidden. His talk was inspired by a quote from Belgian surrealist René Magritte: “Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see.”

This theme builds on Derby’s recent review article, “Modeling the growth of bulk, single crystals: Seeing what is hidden,” published in the Annual Review of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (2025). 

Congratulations, Jeffrey Derby! Read the full article at Annual Reviews’ website.