2023 Edgar D. Tillyer Award Winner

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Optica Names Andrew Watson the 2023 Edgar D. Tillyer Award Recipient

Optica (formerly OSA), Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, is pleased to announce that Andrew Watson, Apple Inc., USA, has been selected as the 2023 recipient of the Edgar D. Tillyer Award. Watson is recognized for pioneering the application of computational approaches to understand foundational aspects of spatial and temporal vision as well as motion perception and their influential application in the field of image quality.

Watson attended Columbia University, USA and received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, USA. He held postdoctoral positions at the University of Cambridge, UK and Stanford University, UK and was the Senior Scientist for Vision Research at NASA, USA He is currently the Chief Vision Scientist at Apple in Cupertino, California, USA.

Watson leads the application of vision science to Apple technologies, applications, devices and displays. His research focuses on computational models of early vision and their application to imaging technology. He is the author of over 100 scientific papers, and seven patents. He has 21,348 citations and an h-index of 63. In 2001, he founded the Journal of Vision, where he served as Editor-in-Chief for several years.

He has also received a number of awards, including the H. Julian Allen Award, the Otto Schade Award, Gilles Holst Award, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology’s Special Recognition Award. He is a Fellow of Optica, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and the Society for Information Display.

Established in 1953, the Tillyer Award is presented to an individual who has performed distinguished work in the field of vision, including but not limited to the optics, physiology, anatomy or psychology of the visual system. It honors Edgar D. Tillyer’s important contributions to the advancement of better vision and the optical sciences, and is endowed by the American Optical Company and the Chope Family Bypass Trust.

About Optica

Optica (formerly OSA), Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, is the society dedicated to promoting the generation, application, archiving and dissemination of knowledge in the field. Founded in 1916, it is the leading organization for scientists, engineers, business professionals, students and others interested in the science of light. Optica's renowned publications, meetings, online resources and in-person activities fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate scientific, technical and educational achievement. Discover more at: Optica.org