James R. Fienup, the Robert E. Hopkins Professor of Optics at the University's Institute of Optics within the Hajim School of Engineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature," and to the "pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education."

Fienup was selected for his work in the development and application of phase retrieval algorithms.

"Election to the NAE is an honor well-deserved by Jim, who has contributed greatly to the field of imaging science, from fundamental sensing to image reconstruction," said Robert Clark, dean of the Hajim School of Engineering. "His scholarship serves as an example to the bright young scientists and engineers we attract to the University of Rochester every year."

Fienup's research interests center on imaging sciences, including unconventional imaging, phase retrieval, wavefront sensing, and image reconstruction and restoration.

After completing his undergraduate work at Holy Cross College, Fienup earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Applied Physics from Stanford University, where he was a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow.

Fienup spent 27 years conducting research at the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan and Veridian Systems. He joined the faculty at the University of Rochester in 2002.

Fienup is a fellow of the Optical Society of American and of the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE), and is a senior member of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). He was awarded the Rudolf Kingslake Medal and Prize in 1979 by the SPIE and the International Prize in Optics in 1983 by the International Commission for Optics.