The prestigious award underscores Tanner’s exceptional standing within the scientific community. Since joining the UF faculty in 1982, he has not only excelled as an educator and mentor but also served as a forward-thinking department chair. Additionally, Tanner continues to make an impact through his experimental research on dark matter axions, an endeavor that began over 40 years ago.

Axions hold significant interest as they could address enduring challenges within nuclear physics, potentially holding responsibility for some or all of the universe’s dark matter. The physics community is keen to support efforts to detect these theoretical particles, a charge led by Tanner and his colleagues.

UF’s new Fellows include three UF/IFAS researchers, Senthold Asseng, a professor with the department of agricultural and biological engineering, Karen Garrett, a professor with the plant pathology department, and Wayne Nicholson, a professor with the department of microbiology and cell science; two Florida Museum researchers, Lawrence Page, a curator of fishes and adjunct professor, and Douglas Soltis, a curator of systematics and distinguished professor in the department of biology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and Abdelsalam (Sumi) Helal, a professor in the computer & information science & engineering department in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering.