Howard R. Schlossberg
About Optica
In Memoriam: Howard R. Schlossberg, 1938 - 2025
28 September 2025
Howard R. Schlossberg, Optica Fellow and recipient of the Robert E. Hopkins Leadership Award in 1998, passed away on 28 September 2025.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1938, Schlossberg earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from MIT in 1960 and pursued graduate studies at Brandeis University under a National Defense Education Fellowship. He later returned to MIT, where he studied under Ali Javan while maintaining a close relationship with Charles Townes, earning his PhD in 1967.
He began his career at Avco Everett Research Laboratory before joining the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories in 1968. In 1978, he moved to the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), where he served as program manager for Basic Research in Lasers and Optics and the Medical Free Electron Laser Program. Over more than three decades, he supported groundbreaking projects that shaped the fields of lasers and optics, leaving a lasting impact on physics and optical science. He retired in 2014 but remained active in the community, frequently attending conferences and engaging with colleagues.
Schlossberg was a Fellow of Optica (formerly OSA) and IEEE, a Senior Fellow of the Air Force Research Laboratory, and a member of the American Society of Lasers in Medicine and Surgery and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His many honors include the Optical Society Leadership Award/New Focus Prize (1998), the Air Force Meritorious Civilian Service Award (1989), and an Industrial Research and Development IR-100 Award (1978).
He is remembered for his unique vision as a program manager, championing pioneering research and graduate education in optics. Optica and the wider scientific community mourn his loss.
