Marin Soljačić

Marin Soljačić
Name	Marin Soljačić
Birth date	1974
Birth place	Zagreb, Croatia
Nationality	Croatian-American
Field	Electrical engineering, Physics
Alma mater	Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University
Known for	Wireless power transfer, WiTricity
Awards	MacArthur Fellowship, IEEE

Marin Soljačić is a Croatian-American physicist and electrical engineer known for pioneering work in resonant inductive coupling and wireless power transfer, and for cofounding WiTricity to commercialize resonant magnetic coupling technologies. He has held academic appointments and industrial collaborations that connect research at institutions, laboratories, and technology companies across the United States, Europe, and Asia. His work has influenced developments in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, medical devices, and energy systems through partnerships with universities, startups, and standards bodies.

Early life and education

Born in Zagreb, Croatia, Soljačić studied in settings that connect the histories of Yugoslavia and Croatia before emigrating to the United States to attend higher education at institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University. At Princeton University he pursued doctoral work within departments linked to figures at Bell Labs and collaborations with researchers associated with MIT and Harvard University. His doctoral advisors and committee members included scholars connected to Nobel Prize laureates and investigators from research centers such as Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. His early academic formation intertwined with networks involving IEEE, Optical Society of America, and faculty who later held positions at Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and Caltech.

Research and career

Soljačić's academic career includes faculty appointments and research leadership that connect to departments and institutes such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where collaborations interfaced with groups at MIT Media Lab, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and laboratories tied to DARPA programs. His research program brought together methodologies from groups associated with NIST, Max Planck Society, and industrial partners including General Motors, Toyota, and Qualcomm. He has supervised students who later moved to roles at Google, Apple Inc., Tesla, Inc., and startups backed by investors affiliated with Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz. His publications appeared in journals connected to editorial boards from Nature Publishing Group, Science, and IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics.

Wireless power transfer and WiTricity

Soljačić is best known for demonstrating strong resonant coupling for midrange wireless power transfer, work that catalyzed formation of the company WiTricity with cofounders and investors from business networks including Kleiner Perkins, NEA, and technology transfer offices at MIT Technology Licensing Office. The WiTricity technology influenced standards discussions among organizations such as IEEE, SAE International, and IEC. Demonstrations and prototypes drew attention from corporations like Denso Corporation, Fujitsu, Samsung Electronics, and auto manufacturers including BMW and Volkswagen Group exploring inductive charging for electric vehicle platforms. Regulatory and testing collaborations involved agencies such as Federal Communications Commission and research centers such as Fraunhofer Society and TÜV Rheinland.

Other research contributions

Beyond wireless power, Soljačić has contributed to photonics, metamaterials, and nonlinear optics, publishing with coauthors connected to John Pendry, Pendry, and groups at Imperial College London, University of Cambridge, and ETH Zurich. His work intersects with developments in plasmonics, photonic crystals, and superconducting devices that relate to projects at CERN, IBM Research, and Microsoft Research. Collaborations spanned investigators from Harvard University, Columbia University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and national laboratories such as Argonne National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on topics including magneto-dynamics, antenna design, and energy harvesting.

Awards and honors

His recognitions include a MacArthur Fellowship and awards from professional societies like IEEE and Optica. He has been named on lists and received honors associated with organizations such as Smithsonian Institution, TIME, and technology prizes connected to philanthropic foundations like the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Simons Foundation. Institutional honors link him to alumni networks of Princeton University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and to awards administered by panels including representatives from National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and international academies such as the National Academy of Engineering.

Personal life and affiliations

Soljačić holds dual connections across academic and entrepreneurial spheres including board or advisory roles at startups and consortia linked to WiTricity, venture funds associated with Accel Partners, and standards consortia tied to IEEE Standards Association. He participates in speaking engagements and panels at conferences including CES, SIGGRAPH, AAAS, and meetings organized by IUPAP and ICAP. His affiliations include memberships in societies such as American Physical Society, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and associations connected to Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts and transatlantic research initiatives between United States and European Union.

Category:Croatian physicists Category:American electrical engineers Category:MacArthur Fellows