Mafi named 2018 Optical Society Fellow

Departmental News

Posted: October 18, 2017

 October 18, 2017

Arash Mafi, interim director of The University of New Mexico Center for High Technology Materials, has been named a 2018 Optical Society Fellow.

“UNM has a well-established and strong research and education tradition in optics and photonics, especially in the Optical Science and Engineering program, its affiliated departments and the Center for High Technology Materials,” said Mafi, who is also an associate professor in the Dept. of Physics & Astronomy. “I am really honored to be selected as a Fellow of the Optical Society and am excited to contribute to our optics program in an expanded capacity.”

Founded more than 100 years ago, The Optical Society (OSA) is the leading professional organization for scientists, engineers, students and business leaders around the world who focus on the science of light.

According to OSA, fellows “are members who have served with distinction in the advancement of optics and photonics.” The 2018 OSA Fellows Class is made up of 101 OSA members and represents a total of 19 countries. The organization says the fellowship process is both highly selective and competitive.

Mafi, along with his research group, focus on the application of theoretical, computational and experimental methods for cutting-edge research in photonics, especially on nonlinear and quantum aspects of guided-wave optics. His group’s work using disordered fibers to transmit images was selected by Physics World as one of their Top 10 Breakthroughs in Physics of 2014.