physics

Noureddine Melikechi

Noureddine Melikechi is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Noureddine Melikechi rather than just read about it. In short: Noureddine Melikechi (born in 1958) is an Algerian atomic, molecular, and optical physicist, educator and inventor. He is the author of more than 125 peer-reviewed publications, six book chapters and 15 patents.

Noureddine Melikechi — illustration

Key takeaways

Noureddine Melikechi belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Noureddine Melikechi to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Noureddine Melikechi from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Noureddine Melikechi (born in 1958) is an Algerian atomic, molecular, and optical physicist, educator and inventor. He is the author of more than 125 peer-reviewed publications, six book chapters and 15 patents. He is a member of the Mars Science Laboratory, NASA’s largest Mars exploration effort to date. Melikechi is dean of the Kennedy College of Sciences and professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He is currently serving as Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Early years Melikechi was born in 1958 in the town of Thénia, in the wilaya of Boumerdès, Algeria. After graduating from Thénia's middle school, the young Noureddine left his family home located on the Yahia Boushaki Boulevard for the Lycee Abane Ramdane in El-Harrach, Algiers. There he received his Baccalaureate in Mathematics. He enrolled at the University Houari Boumediene of Sciences and Technology of Algiers where he earned a Diplôme d'Études Supérieures in Physics. He went on to pursue graduate work in England where he worked towards his Masters and Doctorate in the laboratory of Professor Leslie Allen on optical coherent control of electronic dipole transitions in sodium atoms.

Career Upon graduating and following a postdoctoral research experience with Professor Allen, Melikechi joined the University of Sciences and Technology in Algiers as an Assistant Professor of Physics as part of his national service (1988-1990). Melikechi left Algeria for the United States in 1990 and joined the research group of Professor Edward E. Eyler as a postdoctoral research fellow. With Dr. Eyler, Melikechi worked on multiphoton excitation schemes in atoms and molecules, precise pulsed laser spectroscopy of few-electron systems, the generation of vacuum ultraviolet laser radiation, the development of Fourier-transform limited laser pulses. In 1995, he was appointed assistant professor of physics at Delaware State University (DSU). At DSU, Melikechi founded the Applied Optics Center of Delaware (AOC-DE), a center dedicated to research, education and innovation initially focused on nonlinear optics and laser spectroscopy in liquids. In 2006, he founded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Research Excellence in Science and Technology focused on optics. In 2009, this center was fused with a NASA University Research Center to form the Optical Science Center for Applied Research (OSCAR). Melikechi is also the principal investigator of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – Maximizing Access for Research Careers and the DSU Idea Network for Biomedical Research programs. Melikechi's recent research is focused on two major projects: (1) Developing sensitive optical techniques for the early detection of cancers (with a focus on epithelial ovarian cancer and prostate cancer). This work brings together laser spectroscopy, nanochemistry, and cancer diagnosis and has potential impact on disease prevention; and (2) Analyzing laser induced breakdown spectra of Martian oils, dust and rocks. The data is collected through the Chemistry Camera (ChemCam) instrument on board the 1-ton Curiosity Rover launched on November 25, 2011, and landed successfully on the red planet on August 6, 2012. Melikechi is a Senior Member of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. Melikechi is dean of the Kennedy College of Sciences and professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. In 2026, he began his tenure as Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs.

Recognition Melikechi is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards: DSU's President's Excellence in Research Awards (1998 and 2008), the 2005 SMART (Strengthening the Mid-Atlantic Region for Tomorrow) Capitol Hill Forum's "Executive Directors Collaboration Award", an award he received "In recognition for continuing efforts to improve and increase Science and Technology collaboration among the technical community in the SMART Region and to further the growth and development of the SMART initiative", The Department of Defense Small Business Initiative for Research Award (1997), The National Institutes of Health Small Business Initiative for Research Award (2002), the 2010 DSU New Castle Chapter Alumina Award, The 2011 "Appreciation Award" from the National Federation of Canadian Muslims, the 2012 Biotechnology Award, the NASA Group Award for his work on ChemCam. In 2011, Governor Jack Markell of Delaware named Melikechi the "Delaware Ambassador to Mars" in recognition for his work on space science. and in 2013, Melikechi was named the George and Carolyn Arfken Scholar in residence by Miami University, Oxford, OH. Melikechi is a Fellow of The Optical Society of America, now Optica; of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and of the American Physical Society.

Awards and honors

2016 - Fellow of the Optical Society of America 2014 – Excellence Award for Youth Empowerment and Development in Africa, the "African Society for Engineering Management" 2013 – NASA Group Achievement Award, Mars Science Laboratory ChemCam Instrument Development and Science Team, NASA 2013 – Arfken Scholar-in-Residence, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 2012 – International Science Award, US-Algerian Business Council 2012 – Academic Research Award, the Delaware Bioscience Association 2011 – Named Delaware's "Ambassador to Mars" by Delaware Governor, The Honorable Jack Markell 2010 – Citizen of Science Award, El Moustakbel Youth Foundation, Algeria

References

External links Video: Dr. Noureddine Melikechi - FIKRA Conference 2014 - "Fighting for Cancer on Earth & Searching for Life on Mars" Video: Dr. Noureddine Melikechi talks Algerian Research OSCAR Official Site NASA Official Site Mars Laboratory Team Member Bio - N. Melikechi NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Thenia, Algeria University Houari Boumediene Archived 2023-04-11 at the Wayback Machine

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Noureddine Melikechi

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Noureddine Melikechi claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Noureddine Melikechi before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Noureddine Melikechi ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Noureddine Melikechi

In research: Noureddine Melikechi appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Noureddine Melikechi in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Noureddine Melikechi is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1958 births, 21st-century Algerian people, 21st-century Algerian physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Noureddine Melikechi outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Noureddine Melikechi in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Noureddine Melikechi means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Noureddine Melikechi out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Noureddine Melikechi in simple terms?

Why does Noureddine Melikechi matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Noureddine Melikechi?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Noureddine Melikechi.