WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Optica, Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, is pleased to announce the recipients of several of its 2026 awards and medals. These awards highlight outstanding technical, research, educational, business, leadership and service accomplishments.
“The 2026 Optica award and medal recipients are celebrated for their outstanding contributions. We thank and congratulate them for advancing our field, mentoring the next generation, and serving our global community,” said Gisele Bennett, Optica's 2026 President. “In addition, I’d like to thank the dedicated selection committee volunteers, nominators, and references who make this program possible.”
The 2026 recipients are:
Esther Hoffman Beller Medal
Dr. Imrana Ashraf, Department of Physics, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Citation: For her dedication to optics education at her university and at events targeting students from economically developing countries, as well as for the organization of numerous educational and outreach events in rural areas of Pakistan
Max Born Award
Roberto Morandotti, INRS-Energie Mat & Tele Site Varennes, Canada
Citation: For pioneering experiments in chip-scale quantum light sources and complex entangled states, as well as for groundbreaking contributions in nonlinear, ultrafast, and terahertz optics
Stephen D. Fantone Distinguished Service Award
George Bayz, Oakshire Partners, USA
Citation: For outstanding leadership as Optica Treasurer, including expertly guiding the organization through complex challenges with astute financial stewardship, steadfast integrity, and strategic vision, significantly strengthening Optica's mission and stability
Michael S. Feld Biophotonics Award
YongKeun Park, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Republic of Korea
Citation: For pioneering the development of 3D quantitative phase imaging techniques and AI-enabled applications in biology and medicine, transforming label-free biophotonics into a powerful tool for fundamental discoveries and clinical translation
Paul F. Forman Team Engineering Excellence Award
TOPTICLOCK Team, TOPTICA Photonics AG & Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Germany
Citation: For the development of a commercial single-ion optical clock by combining ultra-low-noise photonics and quantum technology providing an unprecedented level of accuracy in an industrial form factor
Joseph Fraunhofer Award/Robert M. Burley Prize
Cheng-Wei Qiu, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Citation: For his pioneering works in interfacial optics of low-dimensional and van der Waals materials with photonic nanostructures, fusing multiscale symmetry, topology, and geometry from within natural crystals and meta-optics
Nick Holonyak Jr. Award
Steven DenBaars, Materials & ECE Departments, University of California Santa Barbara, USA
Citation: For pioneering contributions to high-efficiency GaN LEDs and laser diodes
Robert E. Hopkins Leadership Award
Tommaso Calarco, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Germany
Citation: For key contributions in setting up a coordinated research program and for fostering international cooperation in quantum technologies
Edwin Land Medal (co-presented with the Society for Imaging Science and Technology)
Paul M. Hubel, Apple, Inc., USA
Citation: For pioneering novel image algorithms in digital camera research; for development of optimal software-firmware strategies compatible with both existing and new hardware; and for three decades of image quality improvements that make better photographs - instantly
Sang Soo Lee Award (co-presented with the Optical Society of Korea)
Bishnu P Pal, Ecole Centrale School of Engineering, Mahindra University, India
Citation: For several decades of pioneering contributions and passionate leadership of several photonics initiatives in India, and nurturing of their growth through education, research, and outreach
Emmett N. Leith Medal
Jürgen Jahns, Fernuniversität in Hagen, Germany
Citation: For seminal contributions to novel and compact architectures for optical computing systems
Ellis R. Lippincott Award (co-presented with the Coblentz Society and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy)
Juergen Popp, Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology Jena, and Institute of Physical Chemistry and Abbe Center of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, Germany
Citation: For pioneering work in translational clinical Raman spectroscopy, together with his leadership in establishing Raman as one of the most important analytical approaches, which has transformed the field and inspired worldwide scientific innovation
Adolph Lomb Medal
Sergio Carbajo, University of California Los Angeles and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, USA
Citation: 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
Leonard Mandel Quantum Optics Award
Hoi-Kwong Lo, Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT), National University of Singapore, Singapore
Citation: For distinguished contributions to the applications of quantum optics, quantum information science, including the invention of decoy-state QKD, measurement-device-independent QKD, and all-photonic quantum repeater
C.E.K. Mees Medal
Jens Biegert, ICFO- The Institute of Photonic Sciences and ICREA, Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, Spain
Citation: For pioneering the optical tools that unlock the soft-X-ray regime to transform how physics, chemistry, and quantum materials are explored through mid-IR-driven high-harmonic spectroscopy and element-specific attosecond measurements
William F. Meggers Award
Majed Chergui, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland and Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, Italy
Citation: For pioneering contributions in ultrafast linear and non-linear optical and X-ray spectroscopy and his seminal studies of the electronic and structural dynamics of (bio)chemical systems and materials, which have deeply influenced the fields of chemical physics and materials science
David Richardson Medal
William Cassarly, Keysight Technologies, USA
Citation: For a lifetime dedication to optical engineering with a substantial positive impact on the illumination optics industry
Kevin P. Thompson Optical Design Innovator Award
Yunfeng Nie, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Citation: For advancing optical design methodology through AI-driven freeform optimization and differentiable modeling, establishing end-to-end learning frameworks that redefine how high-performance freeform imaging systems are conceived and realized
Edgar D. Tillyer Award
Eero Simoncelli, Flatiron Institute and New York University, USA
Citation: For fundamental discoveries and development of important mathematical tools in the areas of visual perception, visual neuroscience, computer vision, and image processing
Charles Hard Townes Medal
Yoshihisa Yamamoto, NTT Research Inc., USA
Citation: For his influential work on networks of degenerate optical parametric oscillators, coherent Ising machines, and their applications
Optica Treasurer's Award
Jennifer Mayfield, Optica, USA
Citation: For her sustained role as one of the most innovative forces in the organization, and for her ingenuity and execution in managing the Optica Publishing Group platform and the Express journals team, reflecting her enterprising and ethical approach, and her exceptional ability to serve as a bridge between the Publishing and IT teams
R.W. Wood Prize
Jelena Vuckovic, Stanford University, USA
Citation: For pioneering contributions to integrated photonics, foundational work in quantum photonics, and the breakthrough development of a practical photonic inverse design
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. Discover more at: Optica.org
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