News Article
Photonics pioneer James J. Coleman honoured by NAE
He has been elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering. He oversees research using MOCVD of III-V semiconductors to explore applications in lasers, quantum dots and other optical structures
Professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois, Coleman, is also the Intel Alumni Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
He is among 66 new members and 10 foreign associates credited by the NAE.
Election to the NAE is one of the highest professional honours an engineer can garner. The 2,254 members and 206 foreign associates are an elite group distinguished by their outstanding contributions to the fields of technology and engineering.
James Coleman, a pioneer of photonics and semiconductor lasers, elected to the National Academy of Engineering
Coleman was cited for his work in semiconductor lasers and photonic materials. His research focuses on materials for optoelectronics – devices that convert electricity into light or vice-versa, such as lasers, light sensors, solar cells and fibre optics. He helped to develop the MOCVD growth method and is director of the Semiconductor Laser Laboratory at the U. of I.
"This is a significant recognition and prestigious honour for one of our distinguished faculty," said Ilesanmi Adesida, the dean of the College of Engineering. "Dr. Coleman's research has added considerable knowledge to the field of semiconductor lasers and photonic devices, and his many successful patents and contributions to the engineering literature remain a testament of those achievements. He is also an Illinois alumnus, so we are doubly proud of his achievements."
Coleman earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from the U. of I. He worked at Bell Laboratories and Rockwell International before joining the faculty in 1982. He has published more than 400 scholarly journal articles and holds seven patents. He is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Optical Society of America, SPIE (the international society for optics and photonics), the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society.
