Kevin P. Thompson Optical Design Innovator Award
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Kevin P. Thompson Optical Design Innovator Award
Recognizes significant contributions to lens design, optical engineering, or metrology by an individual.
The contribution is deemed significant, in that, an individual, who is at such an early phase of their career, has contributed substantially by advancing the discipline or application area.
Candidates must be within ten (10) years of the completion of their highest degree earned in the year the award is presented, excluding career breaks (e.g., eldercare, maternity or paternity leave, adoption).
Contributions could include: innovative and rigorous research; optical system design with a foundation in aberration theory; development of advanced metrology capabilities; product development; patents; or publications.
The award was established in 2017 in memory of Kevin P. Thompson, who, among many other accomplishments, was known for leading breakthroughs in the understanding of the aberration fields of a new class of truly nonsymmetric optical systems using freeform optical surfaces. It is endowed by several supporters including Jannick Rolland and Synopsys.
Winners
2025
For critical contributions to foundational optical metasurface design, pioneering leadership to commercialize metasurface optics, and product development of the first polarization sensor for consumer markets, leveraging on semiconductor foundries for mass production of metaoptics
2024
For the introduction of nodal aberration theory to the design of ophthalmic imaging instrumentation and the generalization of the Alvarez lens to achieve tunable correction of chromatic aberrations
2022
For innovative design of a UV cross-dispersion space telescope and engineering of a laser-truss Large Binocular Telescope metrology system.
2021
For achievements in theory and computational methods for freeform illumination optics
2020
For theoretical, creative, and innovative design methods for freeform optics
2019
For ground breaking work utilizing nodal aberration theory to design, manufacture, and test a fully functional first-ever free form imaging telescope in a fully rotationally nonsymmetric configuration, demonstrating revolutionary freeform surfaces in optical imaging systems
2018
For interlinking aspects of optical design, tolerancing, metrology and manufacturing for aspherics to enable their usage as reasonable choice in optical systems
* Deceased
