News

Robert Boyd awarded honorary doctorate by the University of Glasgow

July 3, 2014

Robert Boyd, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Quantum Nonlinear Optics at the University of Ottawa and Professor of Optics at University of Rochester has been awarded an honorary doctor of science (DSc) degree by the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom. Here is the report from University News:

"The doctorate degree recognizes Boyd’s “considerable contributions” in the field of optical physics. The awarding ceremony will take place on Tuesday, July 2, 2014 in Glasgow, UK.

Boyd is known for his pioneering work in nonlinear optical interactions and nonlinear optical properties of materials. He developed composite photonic materials, also known as metamaterials, which can be fabricated to show linear and nonlinear optical properties for a specific task. Boyd also conceived the use of coherent population oscillations as a method of producing slow and fast light within solids at room temperature. The ability to control the speed of light can be used for various applications including optical telecommunications and lasers.

A faculty member since 1977, when he joined the University’s Institute of Optics, Boyd is also the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Quantum Nonlinear Optics at the University of Ottawa. From 2001 until his appointment at Ottawa he was the M. Parker Givens Professor of Optics and Professor of Physics at the University.

A prolific academic writer, with over 400 academic publications, Boyd is the author of Nonlinear Optics and Radiometry and the Detection of Optical Radiation – textbooks followed worldwide. He holds nine patents and is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America, SPIE and the American Physical Society. He has also headed various scientific conferences since 1999 and served as guest editor in multiple peer-reviewed journals since 2007. He has won numerous awards for his groundbreaking work in optical physics and his contribution as a leader in the field."