Peter J. Delfyett Jr (born March 8, 1959) is an American engineer and Pegasus Professor and Trustee Chair Professor of Optics, ECE & Physics at the University of Central Florida College of Optics and Photonics. He was awarded the 1996 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. He is a Fellow of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...

and

The Optical Society Optica (formerly known as The Optical Society (OSA) and before that as the Optical Society of America) is a professional society of individuals and companies with an interest in optics and photonics. It publishes journals and organizes conference ...

. Delfyett was also elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2021 for contributions to development and commercialization of low-noise, high-power ultrafast semiconductor lasers.

Early life and education

Delfyett, who is African-American, was born in Queens, New York. When he was in his first grade he was taken to see the film ''

Journey to the Beginning of Time ''Journey to the Beginning of Time'' ( cs, Cesta do pravěku, literally "Journey into prehistory") is a color 1955 Czechoslovak science fiction adventure film directed by Karel Zeman. Produced using a combination of 2-D and 3-D models, it was the ...

''. As a child he played the

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

and basketball. He attended the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

, where he studied

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

. Whilst he was a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

Delfyett became interested in optics. He was mentored by

Robert Alfano Robert Alfano is an Italian-American experimental physicist. He is a Distinguished Professor of Science and Engineering at the City College and Graduate School of New York of the City University of New York, where he is also the founding Direc ...

. He moved to the University of Rochester for his graduate studies, where he earned a master's degree in 1983. After graduating he returned to the

for a doctoral degree, re-joining the laboratory of Alfano. His doctoral research focussed on ultrafast spectroscopy. After graduating, Delfyett joined Bell Communication Research (now Iconectiv) where he worked on semiconductor lasers. At Bellcore, Delfyett created the highest power mode-locked diode laser in the world.

Research and career

In 1993 Delfyett moved to the University of Central Florida College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL), where he was made the Professor of Optics and Photonics. Here he established an Ultrafast Photonics group who worked on semiconductor lasers. He developed the semiconductor laser diode that could achieve the shortest and most intense laser pulse in the world.

Academic service

Delfyett was a founding member of the National Science Foundation Scientists and Engineers in the School Program. He has served as Editor-in-Chief of the

IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics The ''IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the IEEE Photonics Society. It covers research on quantum electronics. The editor-in-chief is José Capmany (Universitat P ...

and the IEEE Photonics Technology Letters. From 2005-2007 Delfyett served as Director at Large on

Board of Directors. In 2020 Delfyett joined the Optica Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Rapid Action Committee.

Awards and honors

* 1993 Black Engineer of the Year Award * 2002 Elected Fellow of IEEE *2004 Elected Fellow of

* 2011

Edward A. Bouchet Award. *2013 National Academy of Inventors Fellow * 2013 President of the National Society of Black Physicists * 2013 Faculty Excellence for Mentoring Doctoral Students * 2014 Medalist from the Florida Academy of Science * 2016 Elected Fellow of SPIE * 2018

City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...

Townsend Harris Award * 2020 IEEE Photonics Society William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award * 2021 Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science,

* 2021 Member of the National Academy of Engineering

Selected publications

* * *

References

External links

Oral history interview transcript with Peter Delfyett on 24 June 2020, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Delfyett, Peter J 1959 births Living people American engineers City College of New York alumni University of Central Florida faculty University of Rochester faculty Fellows of Optica (society) Recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers Fellows of the American Physical Society