Nominators must complete a nominee submission by May 31 with the following:
An IEEE or Society membership is not required to submit a nomination; however, you must have an IEEE Web Account. To create an account, click here.
The IEEE Photonics Society Laser Instrumentation Award recognizes key contributors to the field for developments of laser-based and electro-optical instruments, which lead to the development of innovative systems enabling major new measurements or process capabilities of relevance to applications in industrial, biomedical avionic and metrology fields.
Presented to: An Individual or team, up to three in number
Scope: To recognize key contributors to the field for developments of laser-based and electro-optical instruments, which lead to the development of innovative systems enabling major new measurements or process capabilities of relevance to applications in industrial, biomedical avionic and metrology fields.
Prize: A Certificate and Honorarium
Basis for judging: The field(s) to be considered are classical and Self-Mixing Laser Interferometry, Optical Coherence Tomography, Digital Holography, Diffraction and Interference-based Measuring Devices like Particle Size Analyzers, Laser Interferometers, Optical Gyroscopes, and Laser Doppler Velocimeters, Measurements of distance and kinematic quantities, realized in either bulk-optics or integrated optics technologies. Measurements for the sole characterization of optical devices or fibers are not eligible.
We are proud to recognize and celebrate honorees of the IEEE Photonics Society Laser Instrumentation Award.
For seminal contributions to the advancement of nonlinear wavelength conversion and optical parametric oscillator technology.
Professor Majid Ebrahim-Zadeh is a leading scientist and innovator at the forefront of nonlinear optics. His research on optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) has overcome the major wavelength limitations of conventional lasers, enabling access to spectral regions spanning the ultraviolet to mid-infrared. His pioneering scientific and technological contributions have transformed OPOs from proof-ofconcept devices into robust cutting-edge technologies capable of operating in spectral regions inaccessible to conventional lasers. His ground-breaking research has transcended key areas of lasers and nonlinear optics, from materials and device innovations to advanced system engineering and design.
Professor Ebrahim-Zadeh has a long-standing track record of technological innovation and entrepreneurship. His world-leading innovations have provided indispensable tools for a wide range of applications, delivering significant impact across multiple scientific and technological disciplines. He is the founding President of Radiantis, a company he established in 2005 to transfer scientific breakthroughs from his research laboratory into state-of-the-art commercial technologies. Today, Radiantis is recognized as a leading manufacturer of advanced wavelength conversion and OPO systems.
Professor Ebrahim-Zadeh has published more than 650 peer-reviewed articles, including over 230 journal papers, more than 140 invited, keynote, plenary, and post-deadline presentations at leading international conferences. He has authored 11 major book chapters and reviews and edited 3 books. He has played a leading role in the international optics and photonics community, serving 11 times as General Chair, 7 times as Committee Chair, and more than 50 times as a Technical, Organizing, and Steering Committee Member of major international conferences. He has served as Associate Editor of Optica, Associate Editor and Topical Editor of Optics Letters, Guest Editor of Journal of the Optical Society of America B, and Associate Editor of IEEE Photonics Journal. His contributions have been recognized through numerous honors and awards, including Royal Society of London University Fellowships and Merit Awards (UK, 1993-2001), Innova Prize for Technology Innovation and Enterprise (Spain, 2004), Berthold Leibinger Innovation Prize (Germany, 2010), and David Richardson Medal of Optica (USA, 2021). He is a Fellow of IEEE, Optica, and SPIE.
| Year | Award Winner | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Aleksandar D. Rakić | For pioneering and sustained contributions to laser feedback interferometry using terahertz quantum cascade lasers. |
| 2024 | Robert R. Alfano | For the discovery of supercontinuum light source as an enabling technology for diverse applications and tunable Cr4 and Cr3 lasers. |
| 2023 | Javier Garcia Monreal Zeev Zalevsky | For eminent impact to the field of laser based enhanced remote bio-sensing and its usage for photonic medical diagnosis. |
| 2022 | Franz X. Kärtner | For development and commercialization of femtosecond pulsed optical timing distribution systems for large-scale science facilities. |
| 2021 | Scott Diddams Andrew ‘AJ Metcalf Conner Fredrick | For development, deployment, and operation of an electro-optic laser frequency comb that enables the most precise near-infrared astronomical Doppler spectroscopy. |
| 2020 | Juergen Czarske | For pioneering and sustained contributions to laser Doppler velocimetry, distance and kinematic instruments, and digital holographic sensing. |