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John Tyndall Award

Learn more about the current award recipient.

Learn more about the award and its establishment

Information and deadlines for nominations

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John Tyndall Award

Presented to an individual who has made outstanding contributions in any area of optical-fiber technology, including optical fibers themselves, the optical components used in fiber systems, as well as transmission systems and networks using fibers.

Contributions should have met the test of time and been of proven benefit to science, technology, or society. The contributions may be experimental or theoretical.

The award was established in 1987 to honor the memory of John Tyndall who made distinguished contributions to physics, particularly his demonstration of total internal reflection in a continuous stream of water. It is jointly presented by Optica and IEEE Photonics Society at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC), and is funded by Corning, Incorporated.

Winners

2024

David J Richardson

David J Richardson

For pioneering contributions to the development of optical fibers and their applications and commercialization in fiber lasers and optical communications

2023

Ming-Jun Li

Ming-Jun Li

For seminal contributions to advances in optical fiber technology.

2022

Meint Smit

Meint Smit

For leadership in building a photonic integration ecosystem, and pioneering contributions to key photonic devices including the arrayed waveguide grating

2021

Michal Lipson

Michal Lipson

In recognition of her fundamental and technological advances in integrated photonic devices

2020

Roel G. F Baets

Roel G. F Baets

For seminal research in silicon photonics and for driving the foundry model in this field

2019

Kim Roberts

Kim Roberts

For pioneering contributions to the development of practical coherent communication systems

2018

Peter J Winzer

Peter J Winzer

For contributions to understanding and advancing the capacity of coherent optical communication systems including advanced modulation formats and spatial multiplexing

2017

Evgeny M Dianov

Evgeny M Dianov *

For pioneering leadership in optical fiber development and outstanding contributions to nonlinear fiber optics and optical fiber amplifiers

2016

Alan H Gnauck

Alan H Gnauck

For sustained pioneering research contributions that drove commercialization of high-speed, high-capacity lightwave communication systems

2015

P. Daniel Dapkus

P. Daniel Dapkus

For pioneering and sustained contributions to the development of metal organic chemical vapor deposition and high performance quantum well semiconductor lasers

2014

Kazuro Kikuchi

Kazuro Kikuchi

For pioneering contributions to the fundamental understanding of coherent detection techniques

2013

James J Coleman

James J Coleman

For contributions to semiconductor lasers and photonic materials, processing and device designs, including high reliability strained-layer lasers

2012

John E Bowers

John E Bowers

For pioneering research in hybrid-silicon lasers and photonic integrated circuits

2011

David F Welch

David F Welch

For seminal contributions to photonic ICs and semiconductor lasers deployed in fiber optic communication systems around the world

2010

C. Randy Giles

C. Randy Giles

For seminal contributions to advanced lightwave communications networks including erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, fiber Bragg grating-based subsystems, and MEMs crossconnects

2009

Joe Charles Campbell

Joe Charles Campbell

For seminal contributions to the understanding, design and telecommunication systems implementation of avalanche photodiodes

2008

Robert Tkach

Robert Tkach

For pioneering breakthroughs in high-capacity transmission systems and networks, including the invention of NZDF (non-zero dispersion fiber) and dispersion management of optical fiber nonlinearities

2007

Emmanuel Desurvire

Emmanuel Desurvire

For pioneering contributions to the physical and theoretical understanding of Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers and to their early development

2006

Donald Ray Scifres

Donald Ray Scifres

For seminal contributions to semiconductor laser diode technology that power the optical fiber networks and as an entrepreneur in creating one of the premier companies that bring to practice the semiconductor diode laser technology to serve the fiber optics industry

2005

Roger H Stolen

Roger H Stolen

For fundamental contributions to the understanding of optical fiber nonlinearities, including the identification and understanding of stimulated Raman scattering in fibers

2004

Larry A Coldren

Larry A Coldren

For contributions to semiconductor laser diode technology, including widely tunable DBR lasers and vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

2003

Andrew R Chraplyvy

Andrew R Chraplyvy

For pioneering research on optical fiber nonlinearities and their dispersion management, and leading WDM fiber transmission systems beyond Tbit/s capacities

2002

Neal S Bergano

Neal S Bergano

For outstanding technical contributions and leadership in the advancement of global undersea fiber-optic communication systems

2001

Tatsuo Izawa

Tatsuo Izawa

For contributions to vapor-phase axial deposition for optical-fiber fabrication and pioneer work on silica-based planar lightwave circuits

2000

Stewart D Personick

Stewart D Personick

For his pioneering research in optical receiver design, system engineering, and optical time domain reflectometry, and for leadership in education and the promotion of fiber optics

1999

John B MacChesney

John B MacChesney *

For the invention and development of the MCVD process, which is one of the major techniques for the manufacture of low loss optical fibers and for high purity overcladding tubes using sol-gel techniques

1998

Kenichi Iga

Kenichi Iga

For pioneering contributions in the development of surface emitting lasers and planar microlens arrays for parallel optoelectronics

1997

Ivan P Kaminow

Ivan P Kaminow *

For contributions to lightwave device technology involving high-speed modulation, integrated optics, semiconductor lasers, polarization effects in fiber, and WDM components, and to optical FDM networks

1996

Kenneth O Hill

Kenneth O Hill

For the discovery of photosensitivity in optical fibers and its application to Bragg gratings used in device applications in optical communications and sensor systems

1995

Tingye Li

Tingye Li *

For sustained advances in high-capacity optical fiber communication systems created by his pioneering research, leadership, and personal contributions over more than two decades

1994

Elias Snitzer

Elias Snitzer *

For pioneering contributions to optical propagation in fiber and rare-earth doped lasers and amplifiers

1993

Yasuharu Suematsu

Yasuharu Suematsu

For contributions to wideband optical fiber communication through his dynamic single-mode lasers and semiconductor-based integrated optics

1992

Donald B Keck

Donald B Keck

For the invention and development of methods for manufacture and measurement of devices for optical communication, including low attenuation fibers

1991

David Neil Payne

David Neil Payne

For outstanding contributions to the design, measurement, and fabrication of optical fibers and active fiber devices

1990

Thomas G Giallorenzi

Thomas G Giallorenzi

For significant technical, management, and professional contributions to the development and applications of fiber optics and optical fiber sensor technology

1989

Stewart Edward Miller

Stewart Edward Miller *

For foresight, dedication, technical contributions and pioneering leadership in building the broad foundations for today's fiber optic telecommunications systems

1988

Michael K Barnoski

Michael K Barnoski *

In recognition of his invention of devices and instruments fundamental to fiber optic technology, and the leadership that he has exerted both in professional societies and in industry in advancing optical communication technology

1987

Robert D Maurer

Robert D Maurer

For contributions to the discovery and understanding of materials and techniques for the fabrication of glass fiber waveguides for optical communication

* Deceased

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