Prof. Xi-Cheng Zhang

Biography

Professor Xi-Cheng Zhang, the M. Parker Givens Professor of Optics, was the Director of The Institute of Optics (2012–2017), a foremost institution in optics and optical physics research and education at the University of Rochester, Rochester, New York.

Prior to joining the University of Rochester, he pioneered world-leading research in the field of ultrafast laser - based on terahertz technology and optical physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York (1992-2012). At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he was the Eric Jonsson Professor of Science, Acting Head at the Department of Physics, Applied Physics & Astronomy; Professor of Electrical, Computer & System, and Founding Director of the Center for THz Research. He is the co-founder of Zomega Terahertz Corp.

Prof. Zhang received 29 US patents; authored and co-authored 24 books and book chapters, 330 refereed papers; delivered 500 colloquia, seminars, invited conference presentations, and 200 contributed conference talks. His H-index is 94. (Last updated on Google Scholar 09/2022).

Education

Ph.D., Physics, Brown University, 1986 (student of David H. Auston)
M.S., Physics, Brown University, 1983
B.S., Physics, Peking University, 1981

Professional Appointments

Executive Editor-in-Chief, Light: Science & Application (2020-2023)

Editor-in-Chief, Optics Letters, OSA (Optica) (2014-2019)

Director at Large, OSA (Optica) (2014-2016)

Director, The Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester, Rochester, New York (2012-2017)

Distinguished Visiting Scientist, Jet Propulsion Lab, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California (2005)

AFOSR- SRPF Fellow, Hanscom Air Force Base, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA (1993-1994)

Visiting Scientist, Columbia University, New York City, New York (1987–1991)

Visiting Scientist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (1985)

Honorable and Adjunct Professor at 14 Russian and Chinese Universities

Honors and Awards 

Humboldt Prize (2018)

Australian Academy of Science Selby Fellow (2017)

IRMMW-THz Kenneth Button Prize (2014)

OSA William F. Meggers Award (2012)

IEEE Photonics Society William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award (2011)

Rensselaer William H. Wiley 1866 Award (2009)

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship

NRC-CIAR Distinguished Visiting Scientist, Canada (2004)

Heinrich Rudolf Hertz Lecturer, RWTH, Aachen, Germany (2003)

Distinguished Lecturer of IEEE/LEOS

Rensselaer Early Career Award (1996)

Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar Award (1995)

NSF Early Career Award (1995)

K.C. Wong Prize, K.C. Wong Foundation, Hong Kong SAR, China (1995)

NSF Research Initiation Award (1992)

Doctoral Dissertation

"Optical Study Of Exciton Localization Phenomena In Semimagnetic Semiconductors And Their Multiple Quantum Wells", Brown University, May 1986 (ProRequest, ProQuest document ID: 303393352).