2025 Edwin Land Medal Winner
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Xi-Cheng Zhang Named the 2025 Edwin H. Land Medal Recipient
Optica and the Society for Imaging Science and Technology (IS&T) are pleased to announce that Xi-Cheng Zhang, University of Rochester, USA, has been selected as the 2025 Edwin H. Land Medal winner. Zhang is honored for pioneering advancements in terahertz photonics, transformative technologies impacting diverse industries, entrepreneurial success in commercializing THz tools globally, and dedication to mentoring future scientific leaders.
Zhang graduated from Peking University, China and received his PhD in physics from Brown University, USA. He is co-founder of Zomega Terahertz Corp., and the Parker Givens Chair of Optics at the University of Rochester. Prior to joining the University of Rochester, he pioneered world-leading research in the field of ultrafast laser-based terahertz technology and optical physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), USA. At RPI, he was the Eric Jonsson Professor of Science; Acting Head at the Department of Physics, Applied Physics & Astronomy; Professor of Electrical, Computer & System Engineering; and Founding Director of the Center for THz Research.
Zhang has received 29 US patents, authored and co-authored 24 books and book chapters, 330 refereed papers, 500 colloquia, seminars, invited conference presentations, and 200 contributed conference talks. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Optics Letters and currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Light, Science, and Applications.
He is a Fellow of Optica, AAAS, APS, IEEE, and SPIE. His honors and awards include: Australian Academy of Science Selby Fellow; the Kenneth F. Button Prize; the William F. Meggers Award; Moscow University Honorable Professor; the William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award; the William H. Wiley Award; eight Trustee Celebration of Faculty Achievement Awards; the First Heinrich Hertz Lecturer (Germany); International Commission for Optics Traveling Lecturer; and many others.
Established in 1992, the Edwin H. Land Medal recognizes pioneering work empowered by scientific research to create inventions, technologies and products. It honors Edwin H. Land for his unique career as scientist, technologist, industrialist, humanist and public servant. The medal is jointly presented by Optica and IS&T, and funded through the support of the Polaroid Foundation, the Polaroid Retirees Association and individual contributors, including Manfred Heiting, Theodore Voss and John J. McCann.
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.
About IS&T
The Society for Imaging Science and Technology (IS&T) is an international professional non-profit dedicated to keeping members and other imaging professionals apprised of the latest developments in the field through conferences, educational programs, publications, and its website. IS&T programs encompass all aspects of the imaging workflow, which moves from capture (sensors, cameras) through imaging processing (image quality, color, and materialization) to hard and soft copy output (printing, displays, image permanence), and includes aspects related to human vision, such as image quality and color. The Society also focuses on a wide range of image-related applications, including security, virtual reality, machine vision, and data analysis.
