Yeshaiahu (Shaya) Fainman received his Master’s degree and PhD from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Israel. He is currently an inaugural ASML/Cymer Chair Professor of Advanced Optical Technologies and Distinguished Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

He directs the research of the Ultrafast and Nanoscale Optics group at UCSD and made significant contributions to near field optical phenomena, nanoscale science and engineering of ultra-small, sub-micrometer semiconductor light emitters and nanolasers, inhomogeneous and meta-materials, nanophotonics and plasmonics, and non-conventional imaging. His current research interests are in near field optical science and technology with applications to information technologies and biomedical sensing. He contributed over 340 manuscripts in peer review journals and over 560 conference presentations and conference proceedings.

Fainman is a Fellow of Optica, IEEE, and SPIE. He is a recipient of the Emmett N. Leith Medal, Joseph Fraunhofer Award/Robert M. Burley Prize, Nick Holonyak Jr. Award, Miriam and Aharon Gutvirt Prize, Lady Davis Fellowship, Brown Award for Quantum Computing, and Dennis Gabor Award.