Dr. Saw Wai Hla is a physicist at the Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory. He is also a professor in the Physics Department at Ohio University. His research is focused on atom- and molecule-based nano and quantum science using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), synchrotron X-ray STM, and atomic/molecular manipulation. He is a leading researcher in the areas of single atom-molecule manipulations with STM, single-molecule spintronics, and molecular machines on surfaces.

He has published over 100 articles and has given over 140 invited talks in 23 countries. He has served on numerous national/international boards and has been a proposal reviewer/panelist for the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and European funding agencies.