Donald R. Scifres is co-founder, president and chief executive officer of Spectra Diode Laboratories, Inc. He currently holds 140 U. S. patents and has published over 300 technical articles.

Scifres received his BSEE with highest distinction from Purdue in 1968. Upon receiving his MS in 1970 and PhD in 1972 from the University of Illinois, he joined the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. There he set up a new laboratory for study of semiconductor lasers and light emitting diodes. While at Xerox, Scifres and his colleagues developed many new semiconductor laser structures as well as integrating optical and electronic components into a single semiconductor laser chip. In 1976, he became manager of the Opto-Electronics Group at Xerox and in 1981 was appointed a Xerox Research Fellow. In 1983, Scifres helped found Spectra Diode Laboratories (SDL), Inc., the recognized world leader in high power semiconductor laser technologies. In 2001, he oversaw SDL joining JDS Uniphase Corporation, where he served as Co-Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer until his retirement in 2003. Since then, he has founded and is the current Chairman of SDL Ventures, LLC and SDL Capital, LP investment companies. 

Scifres is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of IEEE and the Optical Society of America, and is a past president of the IEEE Lasers Elecro-Optics Soceity (LEOS). He has been a director of the Optical Society of America (OSA), and president and director of the Lasers and Electro-Optics Manufactuers Association (LEOMA). He is also a member of the American Physical Society, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, and Phi Eta Sigma. Scifres was awarded the IEEE Jack Morton Medal in 1985, the IEEE Robert Noyce Medal, the IEEE Third Millennium Medal, the IEEE John Tyndal Award, the IEE LEOS Award for Engineering Excellence, the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award from Purdue University in 1990, and the E²CA² Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Illinois in 1991. He has also been awarded the Optical Soceity of America Edward H. Land Medal, the Americal Physical Society George E. Pake Prize, The Rank Prize from the Rank Foundation, and the Eminent Member Award from Eta Kappa Nu National Honor Society.