Xiaoyi Bao () is a

Chinese Canadian , native_name = , native_name_lang = , image = Chinese Canadian population by province.svg , image_caption = Chinese Canadians as percent of population by province / territory , pop = 1,715,7704.63% of the ...

physicist, recognized for her contributions to the field of

fiber optics An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means to ...

. She is a professor at the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...

, where she holds the

Canada Research Chair Canada Research Chair (CRC) is a title given to certain Canadian university research professors by the Canada Research Chairs Program. Program goals The Canada Research Chair program was established in 2000 as a part of the Government of Canada ...

in Fiber Optics and

Photonics Photonics is a branch of optics that involves the application of generation, detection, and manipulation of light in form of photons through emission, transmission, modulation, signal processing, switching, amplification, and sensing. Though ...

. Bao was awarded an honorary doctorate from the

University of Lethbridge , mottoeng = ''Let there be light'' , type = Public , established = , academic_affiliations = Universities Canada , endowment = $73 million (2019) , chancellor = Charles Weasel ...

; the citation for the honour called her "a world-renowned scholar in her field."

Biography

Bao completed bachelor's (1982) and master's degrees (1985) in optics from

Nankai University Nankai University (NKU or Nankai; ) is a national public research university located in Tianjin, China. It is a prestigious Chinese state Class A Double First Class University approved by the central government of China, and a member of the fo ...

in China. She earned a PhD from the Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics,

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republ ...

, in 1987. Bao was a professor at the University of New Brunswick from 1994 to 2000. In 2000, she joined the Department of Physics at the University of Ottawa. In 2003, she was named a Canada Research Chair in Fibre Optics and Physics. Bao's areas of research include the development of fiber sensors (e.g., for temperature, strain, pressure, refractive index, and vibration); and the use of nonlinear optical effects (

self-phase modulation Self-phase modulation (SPM) is a nonlinear optical effect of light–matter interaction. An ultrashort pulse of light, when travelling in a medium, will induce a varying refractive index of the medium due to the optical Kerr effect. This variation i ...

cross-phase modulation Cross-phase modulation (XPM) is a nonlinear optical effect where one wavelength of light can affect the phase of another wavelength of light through the optical Kerr effect. When the optical power from a wavelength impacts the refractive index, the ...

four-wave mixing Four-wave mixing (FWM) is an intermodulation phenomenon in nonlinear optics, whereby interactions between two or three wavelengths produce two or one new wavelengths. It is similar to the third-order intercept point in electrical systems. Four-wave ...

, and stimulated scattering) in fibers to design sensors, instrumentation, lasers, and devices. Sensor systems using Xiaoyi's methods are being used in countries around the world. In 2015, Bao was awarded an honorary doctorate from the

; the citation for the honour called her "a world-renowned scholar in her field."

Awards and honours

* 2009: Fellow,

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bil ...

* 2010: Fellow,

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 ...

* 2010: Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Applied Photonics,

Canadian Association of Physicists Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP), or in French Association canadienne des physiciens et physiciennes (ACP) is a Canadian professional society that focuses on creating awareness among Canadians and Canadian legislators of physics issues, spo ...

Institut National d'Optique The National Optics Institute (INO) is a Quebec City-based private non-profit corporation founded in 1988. INO is a technological design and development firm that deals in optics and photonics for SMEs and large corporations in Canada and around ...

(CAP-INO) * 2012: Education Foundation Award of Merit, Federation of Chinese Canadian Professionals (Ontario) * 2012: Fellow, International Society for Optics and Photonics * 2013: Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Industrial and Applied Physics, Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) * 2015: Honorary Doctor of Science, University of Lethbridge * 2023: Joseph Fraunhofer Award/Robert M. Burley Prize, The Optical Society

Selected publications

* * * * * * *

References

External links

University of Ottawa academic biographyXiaoyi Bao Group website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bao, Xiaoyi Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Academic staff of the University of Ottawa Canadian physicists Fellows of Optica (society) Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Canadian people of Chinese descent Women in optics