2026 Adolph Lomb Medal Winner
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Optica Names Sergio Carbajo the 2026 Adolph Lomb Medal Recipient
Optica is pleased to announce that Sergio Carbajo, University of California Los Angeles and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, USA, has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Adolph Lomb Medal. Carbajo is honored 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.
Carbajo holds joint appointments as an Associate Professor in the Electrical & Computer Engineering and Physics & Astronomy Departments at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and is a Visiting Professor at Stanford University’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. He is the Founder and Director of the Quantum Light-Matter Cooperative, a multi-institutional research consortium dedicated to advancing light-driven science and technology.
His research is focused on pioneering new methods to understand and control light-matter interactions at ultrafast and quantum scales. His work includes the development of novel approaches to visualizing quantum dynamics—often termed “quantum filmmaking”—and the creation of compact, high-brightness sources across the spectrum. These contributions have advanced fundamental science and enabled applications in quantum information, molecular imaging, and energy research. He also leads initiatives in adaptive quantum sensing and scalable photonic quantum architectures.
Carbajo is deeply engaged in advancing equity and critical interdisciplinarity in STEM as Director of Inclusive Excellence for the UCLA Electrical & Computer Engineering Department and founder of the Queered Science and Technology Center.
He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, has spun off startups in the photonics, quantum, and energy spaces, holding multiple patents, and serves in advisory roles for US and international scientific agencies. Carbajo’s additional awards including the Nature LSA Rising Star Award, the Humboldt Fellowship, and Young Investigator awards from the Office of Naval Research and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
Established in 1940, the Lomb Medal is presented to an individual who has made a noteworthy contribution to optics at an early career stage. Contributions from any area of optics, fundamental or applied, are considered. The medal honors Adolph Lomb, the Society’s first treasurer, for his devotion to the Society and the advancement of optics.
About Optica
Optica, Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, is the society dedicated to promoting the generation, application, archiving and dissemination of knowledge in the field. Founded in 1916, it is the leading organization for scientists, engineers, business professionals, students and others interested in the science of light. Optica’s renowned publications, meetings, online resources and in-person activities fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate scientific, technical and educational achievement.
