2026 William F. Meggers Award Winner
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Optica Names Majed Chergui the 2026 William F. Meggers Award Recipient
Optica is pleased to announce that Majed Chergui, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland and Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, Italy, has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the William F. Meggers Award. Chergui is honored for pioneering contributions in ultrafast linear and non-linear optical and X-ray spectroscopy and his seminal studies of the electronic and structural dynamics of (bio)chemical systems and materials, which have deeply influenced the fields of chemical physics and materials science.
Chergui received his BS in physics and mathematics from the University of London, his MS in atomic and molecular physics and his PhD in physics from the University of Paris-sud (Orsay). He worked as a research associate of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) before becoming a research associate at the Free University of Berlin. Prior to joining EPFL, he was appointed Full Professor of Physics at the University of Lausanne.
Chergui’s career has been characterised by the development of novel ultrafast spectroscopic tools to address specific scientific questions. Thus, he pioneered X-ray spectroscopy and broadband deep-ultraviolet spectroscopy, with which he solved a number of scientific questions on the fundamental aspects of photo-induced dynamics of molecules, the correlated electronic, spin and structural dynamics in metal complexes, the photo-induced dynamics in retinal proteins and haem proteins in solution. Finally, he unravelled several novel types of excitons in transition metal complexes and in perovskites, and characterised their charge carrier, as well as their structural dynamics upon photoexcitation. His current interests focus on X-ray spectroscopic studies of molecular chirality in solutions.
He is a Fellow of Optica, EPS, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and several other scientific societies. He is a Foreign Correspondent of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences. His additional awards include the Humboldt Research Prize, the Kuwait Prize for Physics, the Earle Plyler Award, the Liversidge Award, the Ahmed Zewail Award, the Rognlie Prize, and the Great Arab Minds Award.
Established in 1970, the Meggers Award is presented for outstanding work in spectroscopy. It honors William F. Meggers for his notable contributions to the field of spectroscopy and metrology, and was endowed by the family of William F. Meggers, several individuals and a number of optical manufacturers.
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.
Headshot Photo Credit: Francesco Pennacchio
Lab Photo Credit: Scanderbeg Sauer Photography
