Mark Christopher Hersam (born January 31, 1975) is a professor of Chemistry and Materials Science Engineering at Northwestern University (2000–present) who, according to the National Science Foundation, has made "major breakthrough[s]" [1] in the field of nanotechnology.

After graduating from UIUC, Hersam was an intern at the Argonne National Laboratory where he did research in the Energy Technology Division studying the energy-related applications of surface acoustic-wave-based sensing.

While at Cambridge University, Hersam was advised by Mark Welland and the two co-authored the paper "Potentiometry and repair of electrically stressed nanowires using atomic force microscopy"[10] in the journal of Applied Physics Letters.

As a doctoral candidate, Hersam again worked with Professor Joseph Lyding at the Beckman Institute where they studied "atomic level manipulation and silicon-based molecular nanotechnology.

"[11] As head of the Hersam Group at Northwestern University,[12] Hersam has authored more than 600 peer-reviewed publications[13] studying hybrid hard and soft nanoscale materials[14] for applications in information technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and alternative energy.