Purdue University Prof. Vladimir Shalaev Elected to the National Academy of Engineering
Vladimir M. Shalaev, the Bob and Anne Burnett Distinguished Professor in Purdue University’s Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE)—one of the highest professional honors an engineer can receive. He was recognized for his “contributions to negative-refractive-index material at optical frequencies and metamaterial applications for national security.”
Shalaev is a world-renowned leader in the fields of nanophotonics and metamaterials. His pioneering work has transformed the way researchers manipulate light at the nanoscale, leading to groundbreaking advancements in negative-index materials, transformation optics, and photonic devices. His research has paved the way for applications ranging from cloaking technology to high-speed optical communications and advanced sensing.
Shalaev's contributions to negative-refractive-index materials have been instrumental in the development of metamaterials—artificially engineered structures that exhibit optical properties not found in nature. By controlling how light interacts with these materials, his work has led to novel technologies with implications for national security, imaging, and telecommunications.
His work has earned him numerous accolades, including election as a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), the Optical Society (Optica), the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He has also received Purdue University’s highest research honor, the Morrill Award.
As a faculty member in Purdue’s ECE, Shalaev has been instrumental in positioning Purdue as a leader in nanophotonics and optical materials. His leadership and mentorship continue to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers working at the intersection of photonics, quantum science, and materials engineering.
An alumnus of Purdue ECE has also been elected to the NAE. Chapman (PhD ECE 2000) is chief executive officer of Startup in Energy Systems, Austin, Texas.
His NAE honor is for "the development of reliable inverters enabling large-scale photovoltaic energy system deployment."
Chapman is an experienced technology leader with a background in power electronics, systems engineering, energy storage, renewable energy, intellectual property, and entrepreneurship.
He is a senior member of the IEEE, served as the general chair for the 2011 IEEE APEC, and received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award. He was named the Richard M. Bass Outstanding Young Power Electronics Engineer in 2006.
Election to the NAE is a recognition of an engineer’s lasting impact on their field and on society. Shalaev now joins an esteemed group of Purdue engineers who have been honored with this distinction, further solidifying the university’s role as a global leader in engineering innovation.
The newly elected class will be formally inducted during the NAE’s annual meeting on Oct. 5, 2025.
Source: Six Purdue Engineers elected as members of National Academy of Engineering