Duncan T. Moore named Optica Honorary Member
About Optica
12 November 2025
Duncan T. Moore named Optica Honorary Member
Moore is honored for distinguished leadership in academia, government and professional societies
WASHINGTON — Optica, Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, has named Duncan T. Moore an Optica Honorary Member, the most distinguished of all Optica Member categories. Moore is recognized for pioneering contributions to gradient-index optics, leadership in public policy, dedicated service to the optics community and distinguished roles in academia, government and professional societies. He is currently the Rudolf and Hilda Kingslake Emeritus Professor of Optical Engineering at The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, USA.
“Duncan has been a leader in our field for over 50 years, inspiring future scientists and entrepreneurs, advancing optical design and engineering and helping shape public policy,” said Jim Kafka, 2025 Optica President. “In fact, Duncan was my first optics Professor, and I was part of his first group of undergraduate students at the University of Rochester. It is an honor to recognize such a dedicated and talented member of our community.”
Moore received his bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Maine and PhD from the University of Rochester. He joined the University of Rochester faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Optics, advancing to Director of the Institute, Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship at the University before assuming his current role. In addition, Moore is the founder and former president of Gradient Lens Corporation of Rochester, New York, USA, the manufacturer of the high-quality, low-cost Hawkeye borescope. Since the summer of 2005, Moore has been a visiting professor at Stanford University, USA, where he has worked at the Center for Longevity to create an international, interdisciplinary research and teaching network focused on solving fundamental physical and social problems associated with extended life expectancy. He is also a senior fellow of Greater Rochester Enterprise.
Moore has experience in the academic, research, business and government areas of science and technology. He is an expert in gradient-index optics, computer-aided design and the manufacture of optical systems. He chaired the successful Hubble Independent Optical Review Panel organized in 1990 to determine the correct prescription of the Hubble Space Telescope. He also served as science advisor to Senator John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia for a one-year appointment and was confirmed by the US Senate in the fall of 1997 for the position of associate director for technology in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). In this position, he worked with Dr. Neal Lane, President Clinton’s science advisor, to advise the President on US technology policy, including the Next Generation Internet, Clean Car Initiative, National Nanotechnology Initiative, ElderTech and CrimeTech.
Moore has received numerous awards for his achievements, including election to the National Academy of Engineering, the Science and Technology Award of the Greater Rochester Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Distinguished Inventor of the Year Award of the Rochester Intellectual Property Law Association, the Gradient-Index Award of the Japanese Applied Physics Society and an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Maine. Moore also received the National Engineering Award of the American Association of Engineering Societies and was twice designated Engineer of the Year by the Rochester Engineering Society. Additionally, he received Optica’s Robert E. Hopkins Leadership Award, SPIE’s Gold Medal and the Optica/IS&T Edwin H. Land Medal. He is a Fellow of Optica, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Biological Engineering, IEEE, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Inventors and SPIE.
Moore has been a committed member of Optica for over 50 years. He has served in numerous roles, from editorial positions to program chair of Optica technical meetings, membership on the Technical Council, Annual Meeting Chair and Optica at-large Board of Directors Member. He served as society President in 1996 and was the principal motivator for Optica to become more involved in public policy issues. He continues to serve on Optica's Presidential Advisory Committee.
Honorary Member is the most distinguished of all Optica Member categories. It is awarded by a unanimous vote of the Optica Board of Directors to individuals who have made seminal contributions to the field of optics. Their number is limited to two-thousandths of the Society’s total membership.
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. Discover more at: Optica.org
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