2026 Esther Hoffman Beller Medal Winner
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Optica Names Imrana Ashraf the 2026 Esther Hoffman Beller Medal Recipient
Optica is pleased to announce that Imrana Ashraf, Department of Physics, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan, has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Esther Hoffman Beller Medal. She is being honored for her dedication to optics education at her university and at events targeting students from economically developing countries, as well as for the organization of numerous educational and outreach events in rural areas of Pakistan.
She earned her PhD in quantum optics from the Department of Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad, where she later served as a faculty member. Her research interests span quantum, atomic, and classical optics. Following her retirement, she has remained actively engaged in academia through optics education and outreach efforts, while continuing her affiliation with her parent institution.
She is a Senior Member of Optica and SPIE, a Senior Associate of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) for the period 2026–2031, and the Managing Director of the International Commission for Optics (ICO) in Pakistan. Ashraf has maintained a close association with ICTP for over three decades and, in recognition of this long-standing commitment, was selected as one of only four 2025 ICTP Institute Associates worldwide.
In 2016, Ashraf founded Active Learning in Optics (ALO), a self-funded initiative dedicated to promoting hands-on optics education among underprivileged high-school and college girls in remote regions of Pakistan. Through ALO, she successfully organized 90 optics outreach activities across the country by December 2025. During the COVID-19 pandemic, recognizing the need to sustain scientific collaboration, she initiated the Pak-ICTP Alumni Society (PIAS) as an online platform for academic engagement and community building.
She has over 30 years of experience teaching optics-related courses at QAU and 14 years of teaching experience at the Preparatory School of the ICTP Winter College on Optics. She has also contributed to informal optics education at ICTP, Italy, particularly for African participants, and continues to engage in outreach for underprivileged public-sector schools, colleges, and universities in remote areas of Pakistan. Her additional honors include the ICO/ICTP Award, the Spirit of Salam Prize, and Optica’s Diversity and Inclusion Advocacy Recognition Award.
Established in 1993, the Beller Medal is presented for outstanding contributions to education in optical science and engineering. Consideration is given to outstanding teaching and/or original work in optics education that enhances the understanding of optics. The scope of the award is international, and candidates at every career stage are considered. It is endowed by a bequest from the estate of Esther Hoffman Beller.
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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.
