(formerly OSA) and the IEEE Photonics Society have named Meint Smit, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands, the 2022 John Tyndall Award recipient. Smit is recognized for "leadership in building a photonic integration ecosystem, and pioneering contributions to key photonic devices including the arrayed waveguide grating."
"Our congratulations to Professor Smit for this well-deserved honor," said 2021 Optica President Connie Chang-Hasnain, Whinnery Chair Professor Emerita of EECS at University of California, Berkeley, USA. "His revolutionary work in photonic integrated circuits has already created enormous commercial impact and I'm sure it will continue to catalyze future advancements for telecom, datacom and sensing applications."
"Professor Smit's contributions to integrated photonics and key enabling components have had enormous impact in today's optical-fiber technology. His inventions and efforts are major breakthroughs in science and technology, with important societal impact" added IEEE Photonics Society President Carmen Menoni. "His pioneering role and the enormous real-world impact that his work has had make him an ideal recipient of the John Tyndall Award."
The award, one of the top honors in the fiber optics community, is named for John Tyndall, a 19th century scientist who was the first to demonstrate the phenomenon of total internal reflection. It recognizes an individual who has made pioneering, highly significant, or continuing technical or leadership contributions to fiber optic technology.
Corning, Incorporated sponsors the award, which consists of a specially commissioned glass sculpture, a scroll and an honorarium. Optica and the IEEE Photonics Society will jointly present the Tyndall Award to Smit at OFC 2022, the world's leading conference and exhibition for optical communications and networking professionals. The event will take place from Sunday to Thursday, 6 - 10 March 2022 in San Diego, California, USA.
Meint Smit received his PhD from Delft University of Technology, Netherlands. He was the leader of the Photonic Integrated Circuits Group at Delft University before joining Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Netherlands. He is currently a full professor in the department of Electrical Engineering, where he leads the Photonic Integration Group at the COBRA Research Institute of TU/e.
He started his research in photonic integration in 1981, invented the Arrayed Waveguide Grating and was closely involved in the introduction of MMI-couplers, key components in Photonic ICs. He is the founder of the JePPIX platform, the Joint European Platform for Photonic Integration of Components and Circuits, and he is highly involved in the development of the InP-based photonic foundry system in Europe. Smit is an IEEE Fellow and has received an ERC Advanced Grant, a LEOS Technical Achievement Award, and a Rank Prize for Optoelectronics.
