OSA David Richardson Medal

The Optical Society (OSA) is a leading global forum for light science and technology with a mission to promote the generation, application and archiving of knowledge in optics and photonics and to disseminate this knowledge worldwide. Founded in 1916, OSA has a worldwide constituency that unites scientists, engineers, educators, technicians and business leaders worldwide to foster and promote technical and professional development.

Each year, OSA awards the prestigious David Richardson Medal to an individual in recognition of their significant contributions to optical engineering, primarily in the commercial and industrial sector. The 2021 Medal has been awarded to ICREA Prof at ICFO, Dr Majid Ebrahim-Zadeh, "for contributions to the advancement of nonlinear optical technology and commercial development of cutting-edge optical parametric oscillators".

Prof Ebrahim-Zadeh has been at the forefront of research in nonlinear optics and frequency conversion technology for over 25 years. His pioneering contributions to the field, and in particular the specialist field of optical parametric oscillators (OPOs), have led to the realization of new generations of uniquely versatile laser sources spanning the ultraviolet to the mid-infrared, and in all time-scales from continuous-wave to few-cycle femtosecond domain. His technological innovation has laid the solid foundation for industrial advancement of nonlinear optics, and has been instrumental in the development of several well-established commercial lasers and OPO systems on the worldwide photonics market today with tremendous impact on a wide range of multidisciplinary applications.

He has a long-standing track record of successful technology transfer and industrial innovation. In 2005, he created Radiantis, the first spin-off company from ICFO, with the mission to transform research results from his laboratory to state-of-the-art technology for the commercial market. Over the past 15 years, he has served as a director and chief scientist of the company, leading the expansion of its technology platform to achieve sustained growth. Today Radiantis is recognized as a leading manufacturer of cutting-edge OPO technology in the world and is fully integrated into the laser and photonics market with numerous advanced systems installed in many leading universities, research institutes, and major industrial companies. For over a decade, Radiantis has been a certified supplier of OPO technology to one of the largest laser companies in the world, MKS/Newport/ Spectra-Physics, USA.

In addition to this newly awarded OSA David Richardson Medal, Prof Ebrahim-Zadeh is the recipient of several honors and awards, including Royal Society University Fellowship, UK (1993-2001), Royal Society Merit Award, UK (1995,1999), Innova Prize for innovation and enterprise, Spain (2004), and Berthold Leibinger Innovation Prize, Germany (2010). He is a Fellow of OSA (2004) and SPIE (2012).