DETROIT - Wayne State University Physics and Astronomy Professor Alexey A. Petrov has been elected a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) for "contributions to heavy flavor physics, in particular studies of charm quarks and contributions to indirect searches for physics beyond the Standard Model."

Election as an APS fellow is a major recognition and distinct honor of professional accomplishment in this leading organization of physicists. Each year, only one half of one percent of the membership is elected as fellows by one's professional peers, according to the society. Petrov is one of 15 Wayne State University faculty who hold this distinctive title.

Petrov has been a faculty member in Wayne State's Department of Physics and Astronomy since 2001. His research focuses on theoretical physics of elementary particles as well as astrophysics.  

"This fellowship is a reflection of the high quality of research Alexey has produced across his entire career," said David Cinabro, chair of Wayne State's Department of Physics and Astronomy. "This isn't just an honor for him, but for our entire department." 

Petrov received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and his Diploma from St. Petersburg Technical University (now known as Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University). His research is currently funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

The APS was founded in 1899 and its mission is to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics. The society has more than 50,000 members, including physicists, chemists and engineers in academia, national laboratories and industry in the United States and throughout the world.

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About Wayne State University, www.wayne.edu 

Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://research.wayne.edu.