Daniel R Grischkowsky earned his bachelor’s degree in 1962 from Oregon State University. He went on to Columbia University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1968. After completing his Ph.D., he stayed at Columbia as a Research Associate before moving to the IBM Watson Research Center as a research staff member, from 1969 to 1993. He held a number of different positions there. In 1993, he came to Oklahoma State University, where he has been Regents Professor since 2001.

For his work, Grischkowsky has received a number of awards, including: the Boris Pregel Award for Applied Science and Technology in 1985, the R.W. Wood Prize from OSA in 1989, the William F. Meggers Award from OSA in 2003, and the Kenneth J. Button Prize in 2011. He is a Fellow of OSA, APS, and IEEE.