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| Harry Atwater | |
|---|---|
| Name | Harry Atwater |
| Birth date | 1960s |
| Birth place | United States |
| Fields | Physics; Optics; Materials science |
| Workplaces | California Institute of Technology; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Bell Laboratories |
| Alma mater | California Institute of Technology; Stanford University |
| Known for | Plasmonics; Nanophotonics; Photovoltaics |
| Awards | Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers; Fellow of the Optical Society |
Harry Atwater is an American physicist and materials scientist noted for pioneering work in plasmonics, nanophotonics, and solar energy conversion. He is a professor at the California Institute of Technology and former director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute at Caltech. Atwater's research spans fundamental studies of light–matter interaction to applied photovoltaics, enabling advances in photovoltaic architectures, metamaterials, and optical antenna design.
Atwater completed undergraduate and graduate studies at institutions including California Institute of Technology and Stanford University, where he studied under mentors connected to research at Bell Laboratories and engaged with faculty affiliated with Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During his doctoral and postdoctoral training he collaborated with groups linked to IBM Research and the National Science Foundation programs, receiving early recognition in programs like the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and fellowships associated with national laboratories such as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory.
Atwater joined the faculty of California Institute of Technology after research appointments and collaborations at institutions including Massachusetts Institute of Technology and industrial research centers like Bell Laboratories. At Caltech he led research groups within departments connected to the Division of Engineering and Applied Science and centers such as the Beckman Institute and the Resnick Sustainability Institute. He has served on advisory boards for agencies including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Department of Energy, and his lab has partnered with facilities such as SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Atwater's contributions encompass plasmonics, nanoscale optical antennas, metasurfaces, and advanced photovoltaic device concepts. His work on plasmon-enhanced absorption connected to researchers at Harvard University and University of California, Berkeley, and led to practical implementations in thin-film solar cells and light-trapping strategies inspired by studies from groups at MIT and Stanford University. He published seminal papers on optical antenna arrays and metamaterials that relate to concepts developed at Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge. Atwater's group advanced carrier-selective contacts and tandem solar cell architectures, interfacing with work at National Renewable Energy Laboratory and research funded by the Office of Science (DOE). He contributed to the development of transparent conducting oxides and plasmonic nanoparticle arrays, which influenced efforts at companies and labs like SunPower Corporation, First Solar, and Sandia National Laboratories.
Atwater's accolades include honors from professional societies such as the Optical Society and the American Physical Society, awards tied to national science agencies including the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, and distinctions that align with recognition by institutions like Harvard University, MIT, and the National Academy of Sciences. He has been elected a fellow of organizations including the American Association for the Advancement of Science and received prizes relating to optics and materials research from bodies with links to IEEE Photonics Society and the Materials Research Society.
Atwater co-founded and advised startups and technology ventures translating nanophotonics and solar technologies to industry, collaborating with entities such as SunPower Corporation, First Solar, and venture firms with ties to Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia Capital. He has been involved in licensing through university technology transfer offices and in joint projects with industrial research labs including Bell Laboratories and Corning Incorporated. Atwater's translational work fostered partnerships with national labs like NREL and companies engaged in thin-film manufacturing and optoelectronics.
Atwater has taught courses at California Institute of Technology on optics, materials, and energy-related engineering, mentoring graduate students and postdocs who have gone on to positions at institutions including MIT, Harvard University, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Princeton University, and in industry at firms like Intel Corporation and Google. His trainees have received fellowships and awards from organizations such as the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program and have contributed to consortia supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and DARPA.
Atwater's legacy includes influential advances in nanoscale photonics, contributions to renewable energy research communities at institutions like Caltech and national labs such as SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and mentorship of researchers who now lead groups at universities and companies worldwide. His work helped bridge fundamental science and commercial innovation, shaping fields that intersect with research at Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, Max Planck Society, and international collaborations supported by agencies like the European Research Council.
Category:American physicists Category:California Institute of Technology faculty