UCSB’s Coldren Receives OSA Holonyak Award

The University of California at Santa Barbara engineering professor Larry Coldren has received the 2017 Nick Holonyak, Jr. Award from the Optical Society of America (OSA) in recognition of his contributions to photonic integrated circuits.

The award is presented annually to an individual who has made significant contributions to optics based on semiconductor-based optical devices and materials including basic science and technological applications.

Coldren is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in UCSB's College of Engineering. He joined the department in 1984, served as acting dean of the College of Engineering from 2009 to 2011 and is currently the director of the campus's Optoelectronics Technology Center and the Solid State Lighting & Energy Electronics Center. Coldren is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the OSA and the Institute of Electronics Engineers in the U.K. In addition, he is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Inventors.

Established in 1997, the OSA award honors Nick Holonyak, Jr., who has made distinguished contributions to the field of optics through the development of semiconductor based light emitting diodes and semiconductor lasers. The OSA is the professional society for optics and photonics.