2024 David Richardson Medal Winner

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Optica Names Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagarajan the 2024 David Richardson Medal Recipient

Optica is pleased to announce that Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagarajan, Marvell, USA has been selected as the 2024 recipient of the David Richardson Medal. Nagarajan is honored for the successful manufacturing and commercialization of InP and Si-based photonic integrated circuits for use as optical interconnects with a wide range of applications. An insightful engineer and outstanding innovator and mentor, Nagarajan’s ability to move from concept to commercialization and deployment continues to have a profound impact on our industry.

Nagarajan received his BEng from the National University of Singapore, MEng from the University of Tokyo, Japan and PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, all in Electrical Engineering. He is currently the Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Optical Platforms at Marvell where he manages the development of the company’s optical platform technology and products. Concurrently, he is a Visiting Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore. Nagarajan joined Marvell from Inphi where he was the Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Platforms and prior to this, he was a Fellow at Infinera.

Nagarajan’s other recognitions include the IEEE/LEOS Aron Kressel Award and the IPRM (Indium Phosphide and Related Materials) Award for breakthrough work in the development and manufacturing of large scale photonic integrated circuits. He was named to Electro Optics’ The Photonics100 2024 which honors the industry’s most innovative people. He has been awarded 245 US patents and is a Fellow of Optica, IEEE, and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (UK).

Established in 1966, the Richardson Medal recognizes significant contributions to optical engineering, primarily in the commercial and industrial sector. It honors David Richardson’s unique contributions to applied optics, and is endowed by Cary Instruments and Gary Duck.

About Optica

Optica, 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.