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20 March 2020
The Optical Society Names Tony F. Heinz the 2020 William F. Meggers Award Recipient
2012 OSA President honored for contributions to spectroscopy and the development of new spectroscopic techniques
WASHINGTON—The Optical Society (OSA) is pleased to name Tony F. Heinz, Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, USA, the 2020 William F. Meggers Award recipient. Heinz is recognized for seminal studies of the properties and dynamics of surfaces, interfaces, and nanoscale materials by diverse spectroscopic techniques, including through the development of powerful new methods.
“The field of ultrafast laser spectroscopy has largely benefited from the decades-long research contributions of Tony Heinz,” said 2020 OSA President Stephen D. Fantone, founder and president of Optikos Corporation. “The Meggers Award perfectly denotes the significance of Heinz’s research into the electronic and optical properties of a range of nanoscale systems.”
Tony Heinz received a B.S. in physics from Stanford University, USA and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, USA. He is a Professor of Applied Physics and Photon Science at Stanford University and the Associate Laboratory Director for Energy Sciences at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Previously, he was a research staff member at the IBM Watson Research Center, USA and a Professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering at Columbia University, USA. He is a Fellow of OSA and served as OSA President in 2012.
Heinz has developed a wide range of spectroscopic techniques to examine the properties and dynamics of nanoscale systems. These methods include interface sensitive nonlinear spectroscopy and time-resolved approaches, such as terahertz time-domain techniques. The measurement techniques have been applied to elucidate the electronic, optical, and chemical properties of 0-, 1-, and 2-dimensional materials and interfaces. The research would not have been possible without the insight and hard work of more than 70 graduate students and postdocs over the years.
Established in 1970, the William F. Meggers Award is presented for outstanding work in spectroscopy. It honors William Meggers for his notable contributions to the field of spectroscopy and metrology, and was endowed by the family of William Meggers, several individuals and a number of optical manufacturers.
About The Optical Society
The Optical Society (OSA) is dedicated to promoting the generation, application, archiving, and dissemination of knowledge in optics and photonics worldwide. Founded in 1916, it is the leading organization for scientists, engineers, business professionals, students, and others interested in the science of light. OSA’s renowned publications, meetings, online resources, and in-person activities fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate scientific, technical, and educational achievement.
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