• Awards

Professional Awards

  • 2022, AJ Metcalf

  • AFRL Early Career Award

    Alumnus AJ Metcalf (research scientist at Air Force Research Laboratory) has been selected for an AFRL Early Career Award. The AFRL Science and Engineering ECA recognizes scientists and engineers for significant research or engineering achievements during the on-set of their career. These individuals, who also receive a $300,000 grant, have demonstrated exceptional in-house research contributions.


  • 2022, Scott Kenning

  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Awardee

    Scott Kenning, a undergradaute student working with Prof. Andrew Weiner and Prof Kevin Webb, has received a graduate research fellowship through the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP).


  • 2022, Alexandria Moore

  • Estus H. and Vashti L. Magoon Award for Excellence in Teaching Awardee

    Alex Moore, a PhD student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, was awarded the the 2022 Estus H. And Vashti L. Magoon Award for Excellence in Teaching.


  • 2021, AJ Metcalf

  • IEEE Photonics Society Laser Instrumentation Awardee

    Alumnus AJ Metcalf (Air Force Research Laboratory research scientist) and teammates received the 2021 Laser Instrumentation Award for development, deployment, and operation of an electro-optic laser frequency comb that enables the most precise near-infrared astronomical Doppler spectroscopy.


  • 2021, Karthik V. Myilswamy

  • 2021 Quantum Information Science and Engineering Network (QISE-NET) Triplet Awardee

    Karthik, as PhD student at Purdue University, was selected as a 2021 QISE-NET Triplet Awardee for his proposal exploring aspects of quantum networking on integrated photonic platforms.


  • 2020, Hsuan-Hao "Peach" Lu

  • Outstanding Graduate Student Research Awards from College of Engineering, Purdue

    Hsuan-Hao (Peach) Lu was nominated by the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and awarded the "Outstanding Research Award" from the College of Engineering, Purdue University. This award goes to PhD students who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in research through publications, impact to the scientific community, participation in professional organizations, and willingness to mentor others. Peach will be recognized by the College of Engineering at the annual awards luncheon on April 8th in the Purdue Memorial Union North Ballroom through a certificate and a $2000 award.

    Third Place, Best Student Paper Award, IEEE Photonic Conference

    Peach's work, titled "Arbitrary Single-qubit Transformations on a Quantum Frequency Processor", was chosen as a Best Student Paper finalist and awarded the third place for his paper submission to this year's IEEE Photonics Conference (IPC), being held virtually 28 September – 1 October 2020.


  • 2020, Navin Lingaraju

  • 2020 Quantum Information Science and Engineering Network (QISE-NET) Triplet Awardee

    Navin Lingaraju, a PhD student at Purdue University, was selected as a 2020 QISE-NET Triplet awardee for his proposal to develop integrated photonic nodes for hybrid classical/quantum networks in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The “Triplets” approach is one of the activities funded under the Quantum Leap umbrella – a cross-NSF activity focused on advancing the development of quantum technologies. Each triplet comprises a university PI, an industrial partner or national laboratory, and a graduate student and QISE-NET includes representative triplets from materials science, chemistry, device engineering, physics, computer science, and industrial research. This network aims to increase convergent academia-industry and academia-national laboratory interactions to advance the technological goals of the quantum leap initiative by cross-sector sharing and leveraging of facilities, expertise, and scientific and technical challenges. Students are the primary recipients of support, working within a focused academic-industry and academia-national laboratory collaboration which includes thesis development, specific research goals, extended visits at the industrial partner’s site, and network – level mentoring opportunities. QISE-NET students will receive stipends to facilitate their participation within the network.


  • 2019, Hsuan-Hao "Peach" Lu

  • 2019 Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship by SPIE

    Hsuan-Hao "Peach" Lu has been awarded a 2019 Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, for potential contributions to the field of optics, photonics or related field. Lu is a PhD student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University (USA). He is currently working in Ultrafast Optics and Optical Fiber Communications Lab led by Prof. Andrew Weiner, and conducts collaborative research with the Quantum Information Science Group at Oak Ridge National Lab. His work focuses on photonic quantum information processing, and especially the demonstration of quantum frequency processor, capable of performing a variety of high-fidelity operations on frequency qudits. Announcement from SPIE.
  • 2018, AJ Metcalf

  • The Eaton Award in Design Execellence

    Our alumnus AJ Metcalf was awarded The Eaton Award in design excellence for his work in developing and deploying an astrocomb. This award recognizes recent Purdue ECE alumni for their outstanding work in the field of design. This work was developed during his time at NIST. (PDF of project design).


  • 2017, Jose A. Jaramillo-Villegas

  • BILSLAND DISSERTATION FELLOWSHIP, PURDUE UNIVERSITY

    The PhD student Jose Jaramillo has been awarded the Bilsland Dissertation Fellowship by Purdue University for his doctoral thesis “Silicon Nitride Microring Resonators: Classical and Quantum Applications”. This fellowship provides support to outstanding Ph.D. candidates in their final year of doctoral degree completion.


  • 2017, Ogaga Daniel Odele

  • Second place, Siegman international school on lasers poster competition

    Ogaga’s poster, “Two-photon interference with quantum frequency combs,” was voted Second Place by the faculty and students of the 2017 Siegman International School on Lasers which took place at Centro de Investigaciones en Optica (CIO) in Leon, Mexico. The award includes a certificate and cash prize.


  • 2017, Keith McKinzie

  • National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship

    The NDSEG fellowship is a highly competitive, portable fellowship that is awarded to U.S. citizens and nationals who intend to pursue a doctoral degree. This four-year award covers all tuition and fees and provides a monthly stipend to its recipients.


  • 2016, Chengying Bao

  • Chorafas Prize

    The Dimitris N. Chorafas Foundation awards scientific prizes for outstanding work in selected fields in the engineering sciences, medicine and the natural sciences. It rewards research characterized by its high potential for practical application and by the special significance attached to its aftermath. Every year, partner universities in Europe, North America and Asia evaluate the research work of their graduating doctorate students and propose the best for prizing. Bao was awarded for his PhD work on mode-locked lasers and frequency combs.


  • 2016, Professor A.M. Weiner

  • Elected fellow of National Academy of Inventors

    The National Academy of Inventors was founded in 2010 to recognize researchers at universities and nonprofit institutes who translate their research findings into inventions that may benefit society. On 6 Apr. 2017, the 2016 NAI Fellows will be inducted as part of the Sixth Annual Conference of the National Academy of Inventors at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.


  • 2015, Joseph Lukens

  • Paul Baran Young Scholar Award

    Recent PhD student Joseph M. Lukens has been selected for the Paul Baran Young Scholar Award from the Marconi Society, which recognizes individuals "who have, at an early age, demonstrated exceptional engineering or scientific research and entrepreneurial capabilities with the potential to create significant advances in telecommunications and the Internet." The award includes a $4000 cash prize and will be conferred in October at the Royal Society in London. Lukens was cited for pioneering work in secure communications, including temporal cloaking and biphoton pulse shaping, and is advised by Prof. Andrew M. Weiner. More information on the Marconi Society and the Young Scholars program can be found at www.marconisociety.org.


    Wigner Fellowship

    Fourth-year graduate student Joseph M. Lukens has been awarded the Wigner Fellowship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Named after Eugene P. Wigner, Nobel laureate in physics and the first director of research and development at Oak Ridge, the three-year position is ORNL's most distinguished fellowship, designed to provide new scientific talent the opportunity to pursue technical excellence while making significant contributions to ORNL's national missions. Lukens is advised by Prof. Andrew M. Weiner and will join the Quantum Information Science group at ORNL after graduation.


    College of Engineering Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award

    The Outstanding Research Award goes to students who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in research through publications, participation in professional organizations, and willingness to mentor others.


  • 2014, Ogaga Daniel Odele

  • Finalist, Emil Wolf Outstanding Student Paper Competition

    The Emil Wolf Outstanding Paper Student Paper Competition recognizes the innovation, research, and presentation excellence of students presenting their work during the annual Optical Society of America Frontiers in Optics (FiO) Conference.


  • 2014, Joseph Lukens

  • First Place, Siegman International School on Lasers Poster Competition

    Joseph’s poster, “Ultrafast Coding of Entangled Photons,” was voted First Place by the faculty of the inaugural Siegman School on Lasers. The award includes a certificate and cash prize.


  • 2013, Professor A.M. Weiner

  • 2013 Herbert Newby McCoy Award

    The Herbert Newby McCoy Award was established in 1964 by Mrs. Ethel Terry McCoy in honor of her husband, a distinguished Purdue alumnus. To support her husband's life-long interest in science, Mrs. McCoy designated that this annual award be made to a student or faculty member in the science departments of Purdue University making the greatest contribution of the year to science. Since the first award was conferred in the spring of 1965, it has remained the most prestigious research award given by the University in the science area. Nominations are invited from all faculty members, and the recipient is selected by representatives of the science faculties and the president of the University.


  • 2012, AJ Metcalf

  • Theodore Student Paper Competition Semi-Finalist

    Recognizes student innovation and research excellence in the areas of laser technology and electro-optics. The award is endowed by a grant from HRL Laboratories LLC, the IEEE Photonics Society and the APS Division of Laser Science and is administered by OSAF.


  • 2012, Joseph Lukens

  • Department of Defense National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship

    During his first-year as a graduate student Joseph Lukens was awarded a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship through the Department of Defense. This fellowship is offered to U.S. citizens and nationals pursuing a doctoral degree in scientific disciplines of interest. The three-year award covers all tuition and fees and provides a monthly stipend to its recipients.


  • 2011, A. Dezfooliyan

  • IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation Student Paper Honorable Mention

    As an Honorable Mention recipient, Amir receives a $1000 stipend to partially offset travel expenses to the Symposium. This year there were 113 papers submitted to the Student Paper Competition.


  • 2011, Professor A.M. Weiner

  • IEEE Photonics Society Quantum Electronics Award

    The Quantum Electronics Award is presented annually to honor an individual or group of individuals for outstanding technical contributions to quantum electronics, either in fundamentals or applications, or both. Prof. Weiner was presented the 2011 IEEE Photonics Society Quantum Electronics Award at the Conference on Lasers & Electro Optics “for seminal contributions to ultrafast optical signal processing, including development of ultrashort pulse arbitrary waveform generation technology and its applications.”


  • 2011, F. Ferdous

  • Dr. Rashid Gold Medal for 2006

    This medal honors the most outstanding graduate student of the Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET) on an annual basis. The recipient receives a certificate and medal from the Honorable President of The Peoples Republic of Bangladesh.


  • 2010, V.R. Supradeepa

  • IEEE Photonics Society Graduate Student Fellowship

    The IEEE Photonics Society established the Graduate Student Fellowship Program to provide Graduate Fellowships to outstanding Photonics Society student members pursuing graduate education within the Society fields of interest (electro-optics, lasers, photonics, optics, or closely related fields).


  • 2010, Ehsan Hamidi

  • IEEE International Topical Meeting on Microwave Photonics Student Paper Award Finalist


  • 2010, Rui Wu

  • IEEE International Topical Meeting on Microwave Photonics Student Paper Award Finalist


  • 2009, Professor A.M. Weiner

  • National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship

    Professor Weiner was awarded one of nine five-year fellowships out of a pool of 468 senior nominees in order to conduct fundamental research for the Defense Department where he proposes to open an essentially new field that will enable the generation, processing, and application of radio-frequency electrical signals of unprecedented bandwidth and to show the potential for revolutionary capability in areas such as covert wireless and signature recognition of remote devices.


  • 2009, Ehsan Hamidi

  • IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation Student Paper Award Finalist


  • 2008, Ehsan Hamidi

  • URSI XXIX General Assembly Student Paper Award Finalist


  • 2008, Professor A.M. Weiner

  • Purdue University Provost's Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor Award


    Elected to the National Academy of Engineering

    For contributions to the development of femtosecond optical-pulse shaping technology


    R.W. Wood Prize of the Optical Society of America

    For pioneering contributions to the development of programmable optical pulse shaping and its applications to ultrafast optics and photonics.

    Professor Andrew Weiner has been awarded the R.W. Wood Prize of the Optical Society of America, jointly with Prof. Jonathan Heritage of University of California Davis, for pioneering contributions to the development of programmable optical pulse shaping and its applications to ultrafast optics and photonics. The Wood Prize is awarded annually in recognition of an outstanding discovery, scientific or technological achievement, or invention in the field of optics.


  • 2008, Daniel Leaird

  • Purdue University, College of Engineering, Professional Achievement Award


  • 2007, Houxun Miao

  • IEEE LEOS Graduate Student Fellowship

    The IEEE Lasers & Electro-Optics Society established the Graduate Student Fellowship Program to provide Graduate Fellowships to outstanding LEOS student members pursuing graduate education within the LEOS field of interest (electro-optics, lasers, photonics, optics, or closely related fields).


  • 2007, Chen-Bin Huang

  • IEEE LEOS Best Student Paper Award Finalist

    The IEEE Lasers & Electro-Optics Society established the Graduate Student Fellowship Program to provide Graduate Fellowships to outstanding LEOS student members pursuing graduate education within the LEOS field of interest (electro-optics, lasers, photonics, optics, or closely related fields).


  • 2005, Zhi Jiang

  • Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad

    This award was established to encourage research excellence and to recognize the achievement among Chinese students abroad. This award is granted across all fields of study in the world and was presented to 54 Chinese students in the United States this year.


  • 2005, Zhi Jiang

  • Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad

    This award was established to encourage research excellence and to recognize the achievement among Chinese students abroad. This award is granted across all fields of study in the world and was presented to 54 Chinese students in the United States this year.


    IEEE LEOS Graduate Student Fellowship

    The IEEE Lasers & Electro-Optics Society established the Graduate Student Fellowship Program to provide Graduate Fellowships to outstanding LEOS student members pursuing graduate education within the LEOS field of interest (electro-optics, lasers, photonics, optics, or closely related fields).


    OSA-New Focus/Bookham Student Award Finalist

    Joint award presented by the Optical Society of America and New Focus/Bookham Inc. to encourage excellence in research and presentation skills, in addition to leadership in the optics community.


  • 2005, Catherine Slater

  • NSF Fellowship


  • 2005, Daniel Leaird

  • IEEE Senior Member


  • 2005, Shijun Xiao

  • Purdue Engineering finalist for the Chorafas Prize

    Awarded by the Dimitris N. Chorafas Foundation to "reward exceptional performance" and "encourage significant future contributions to science and technology." Granted by to the "Best Doctoral Student".


  • 2004, Shijun Xiao

  • IEEE LEOS Graduate Student Fellowship

    The IEEE Lasers & Electro-Optics Society established the Graduate Student Fellowship Program to provide Graduate Fellowships to outstanding LEOS student members pursuing graduate education within the LEOS field of interest (electro-optics, lasers, photonics, optics, or closely related fields). 


  • 2003, Professor A. M. Weiner

  • Inaugural recipient of Research Excellence Awards, School of Engineering, Purdue University


  • 2003, Jung-Ho Chung

  • IEEE LEOS Graduate Student Fellowship

    The IEEE Lasers & Electro-Optics Society established the Graduate Student Fellowship Program to provide Graduate Fellowships to outstanding LEOS student members pursuing graduate education within the LEOS field of interest (electro-optics, lasers, photonics, optics, or closely related fields). 


  • 2003, Jason McKinney

  • Chorafas Prize

    Awarded by the Dimitris N. Foundation to "reward exceptional performance" and "encourage significant future contributions to science and technology." Granted by Purdue University to the "Best Doctoral Student".


  • 2003, Jason McKinney

  • Chorafas Prize

    Awarded by the Dimitris N. Foundation to "reward exceptional performance" and "encourage significant future contributions to science and technology." Granted by Purdue University to the "Best Doctoral Student".


    Motorola Student Excellence Award

    Received in recognition of academic merit and leadership.


  • 2003, Ingrid Lin

  • National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Student Fellowship Honorable Mention


  • 2002, Jason McKinney

  • OSA / New Focus Student Award Finalist

    Joint award presented by the Optical Society of America and New Focus Inc. to encourage excellence in research and presentation skills, in addition to leadership in the optics community.


  • 2002, Professor A. M. Weiner

  • Named Scifres Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University


  • 2000, Professor A. M. Weiner

  • Humboldt Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists


  • 1999, Daniel Leaird

  • New Focus Student Award from OSA

    He was selected in part based on his presentation of a paper at the recent OSA Annual Meeting. The paper, entitled "500 GHz wavelength-division multiplexing pulse train generation from a direct space-to-time pulse shaper," was co-authored by Prof. Andrew M. Weiner. The award is accompanied by a prize of $10,000.


  • 1999, Professor A. M. Weiner

  • IEEE LEOS William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award

    Professor Andrew Weiner has been selected co-recipient (with Prof. J. Heritage, U.C. Davis) of the 1999 IEEE/LEOS William Streifer Award for Scientific Achievement "for pioneering contributions to femtosecond optical pulse shaping technology and its applications."


  • 1997, Professor A. M. Weiner

  • International Prize for Optics

    Professor Andrew Weiner has been awarded the 1997-ICO International Prize in Optics for his pioneering contribution to the field of ultrafast laser technology and particularly for his contribution to the femtosecond optical pulse shaping and waveform processing and the application of that technology to nonlinear optics, optical communications, and ultrafast spectroscopy. The Prize consists of a citation and a cash award of US $1000. In addition Carl Zeiss has agreed to donate the Ernst Abbe medal. The Prize will be presented at the ICO-18 General Meeting which will be held in San Francisco in 1998. Professor Weiner is also invited to give an invited talk during that meeting.


    American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Curtis W. McGraw Research Award

    Professor Andrew Weiner has been selected to receive the 1997 ASEE Curtis W. McGraw Research Award. This prestigious national award will be presented at the Awards Banquet at the ASEE Annual Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 18, 1997.


    American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Curtis W. McGraw Research Award

    Professor Andrew Weiner has been selected to receive the 1997 ASEE Curtis W. McGraw Research Award. This prestigious national award will be presented at the Awards Banquet at the ASEE Annual Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 18, 1997.


Teaching Awards

  • 2003, Ingrid Lin

  • GAANN fellowship


  • 2003, Catherine Slater

  • GAANN fellowship


  • 2001, Jason McKinney

  • Inducted into the Teaching Academy as an associate member.


    GAANN fellowship.


    Magoon Award for Excellence in Teaching from ECE at Purdue University.


  • 2000, Jason McKinney

  • Magoon Award for Excellence in Teaching from ECE at Purdue University.


    Graduate Student Award for Outstanding Teaching from Purdue University.


  • 1999, Nate Webster

  • Magoon Award for Excellence in Teaching from ECE at Purdue University.


  • 1999, Jason McKinney

  • Magoon Award for Excellence in Teaching from ECE at Purdue University.


  • 1995, Daniel Leaird

  • Magoon Award for Excellence in Teaching from ECE at Purdue University.


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