CLEO 2026 Honorees
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CLEO 2026 Honorees
Optica is proud to recognize the outstanding achievements of our community.
Thank you for joining us in congratulating the following honorees recognized during CLEO 2026.
Charles Hard Townes Medal
Established in 1980 to honor Charles Hard Townes, whose pioneering contributions to masers and lasers led to the development of the field of quantum electronics, the medal recognizes outstanding experimental or theoretical work, discovery or invention in the field of quantum electronics.
Yoshihisa Yamamoto
NTT Research Inc., USA
For his influential work on networks of degenerate optical parametric oscillators, coherent Ising machines, and their applicationss
Adolph Lomb Medal
Established in 1940 to honor Adolph Lomb, the Society’s first treasurer, for his devotion to the Society and the advancement of optics, the medal recognizes noteworthy contributions to optics at an early career stage. Contributions from any area of optics, fundamental or applied, are considered.
Sergio Carbajo
University of California Los Angeles and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, USA
In recognition of the development of first-principles methodologies and seminal contributions to controlling ultrafast photonic and electronic wavepackets and drive processes in quantum matter with unprecedented space-time precision at elementary scales
R.W. Wood Prize
Established in 1975 to honor the many contributions that R.W. Wood made to optics, the prize recognizes an outstanding discovery, scientific or technical achievement, or invention in the field of optics.
Jelena Vuckovic
Stanford University, USA
For pioneering contributions to integrated photonics, foundational work in quantum photonics, and the breakthrough development of a practical photonic inverse design
2026 Fellows
Recognizing Optica members who have served with distinction in the advancement of optics and photonics through distinguished contributions to education, research, engineering, business leadership and society. View a complete list of 2026 Fellows.
Edoardo Charbon
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
For groundbreaking and pioneering contributions in the development of single photon avalanche diode cameras and sensors
Pai-Yen Chen
University of Illinois Chicago, United States
For outstanding contributions to plasmonics in 2D materials and photonic metamaterials for nonlinear nanophotonics, light manipulation, and sensing applications
Mini Das
University of Houston, United States
For pioneering contributions to low-coherence X-ray phase retrieval, imaging system development, spectral X-ray computed tomography, and image perception
Antoine Godard
ONERA, France
For outstanding research, technical, and program leadership in nonlinear optics for aerospace, including innovative applications of optical parametric oscillators for gas sensing
Anthony Hoffman
University of Notre Dame, United States
For pioneering contributions to mid-infrared optical metamaterials and sustained service to the photonics community
Nicolas Joly
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Erlangen, Germany
For the invention of unique microstructured fibers, including gas- and plasma-filled fibers, with applications to supercontinuum generation and quantum phenomena
R. Jason Jones
University of Arizona, Wyant College of Optical Sciences, United States
For outstanding and sustained contributions to the development of novel frequency comb sources and applications including broadband high-resolution spectroscopy
Shien-Kuei Liaw
Taiwan Tech (NTUST), Taiwan
For brilliant contributions to optical communications, fiber-based devices, and fiber sensing, encompassing academic research and industrial applications
Oleg Mitrofanov
University College London, United Kingdom
For pioneering and outstanding contributions to the field of terahertz photonics research, particularly in the development and application of terahertz near-field imaging
Xingjie Ni
Pennsylvania State University, United States
For pioneering contributions to the areas of metasurfaces and nanophotonics
Yasuyuki Ozeki
The University of Tokyo, Japan
For pioneering contributions to the development of high-speed molecular vibrational imaging
Niels Quack
Institut für Mikroelektronik Stuttgart, Universität Stuttgart, Germany
For pioneering contributions to photonic micro- and nanosystems
Laura Sinclair
National Inst of Standards & Technology, United States
For pioneering femtosecond free-space time-transfer, enabling unprecedented precision in the comparison of optical clocks over hundreds of kilometers
Judith Su
Univ of Arizona, Coll of Opt Sciences, United States
For pioneering work on label-free optical biosensing for fundamental science, translational medicine, and environmental monitoring
Renu Tripathi
Delaware State University, United States
For significant contributions in research and development of atomic magnetometry, optical coherence tomography, optical pattern recognition, and photorefractive phenomena
Ge Yang
North Carolina State University, United States
For pioneering contributions to photon detection research and education, advancing compound semiconductor radiation detectors, and sensor materials
