{"id":533792,"date":"2022-09-18T20:30:45","date_gmt":"2022-09-19T00:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=533792"},"modified":"2025-12-04T14:10:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T19:10:26","slug":"institute-of-optics-aims-for-50-percent-increase-in-faculty-533792","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/institute-of-optics-aims-for-50-percent-increase-in-faculty-533792\/","title":{"rendered":"Institute of Optics aims for 50 percent increase in faculty"},"content":{"rendered":"

A $12 million challenge fund presents an opportunity to increase the program\u2019s prominence at a critical time for the optics field.<\/h2>\n

Thanks to a $12 million challenge fund<\/a> from one of its most distinguished alumni, the Institute of Optics<\/a> at the University of Rochester<\/a> will have an opportunity to increase its faculty by 50 percent as it prepares to enter its second century.<\/p>\n

The challenge is endowed by University of Rochester life trustee James C. Wyant \u201967 MS \u201969 PhD and his wife, Tammy, who will provide 60 percent of the $1.5 million required for a professorship and $2 million required for a distinguished professorship.<\/p>\n

\"\"
James and Tammy Wyant.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first distinguished professorship will recognize Nobel Prize recipient Donna Strickland<\/a>, one of the most notable alumni of the institute. An $800,000 gift from Optica<\/a>, a leading society in optics and photonics, will be matched with $1.2M by the Wyant Challenge.<\/p>\n

The 10-year challenge fund\u2014the largest gift in the institute\u2019s history\u2014will create 10 endowed professorships\u2014five distinguished professorships for renowned faculty and five professorships for early career faculty. This will allow the institute to increase the number of its full-time faculty members from 20 to 30, with most of the expansion expected to occur in time for the institute\u2019s 100th anniversary celebration in 2029. The increase will help meet an increasing demand, both in the Rochester area and nationwide, for trained optics graduates.<\/p>\n

A visiting professorship and staff position will also be endowed.<\/p>\n

An \u2018extraordinary opportunity\u2019 to bolster optics education<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Wyant, a pioneer in optics, was one of several institute graduates who eventually settled in Tucson to help establish and grow the Optical Sciences Center at the University of Arizona. After many productive years of research, education, and entrepreneurship, he took on the task of directing and becoming the founding dean of what became the College of Optical Sciences that bears his name. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.<\/p>\n

\u201cTammy and I made this gift to increase opportunities for world-class training and research in optics,\u201d Wyant says. \u201cOptics is a technology-enabler and a huge part of daily life, yet there are few universities in the world that have a comprehensive educational and research program in optics. The Institute of Optics, where I went to graduate school, is one place where you can get a well-rounded education in optics, and the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona, where I spent a large part of my career, is another.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJim\u2019s and Tammy\u2019s generosity is truly transformational,\u201d says Sarah Mangelsdorf<\/a>, president and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor. \u201cTheir vision and partnership will help the University recruit leading scholars in optics and photonics in an increasingly competitive environment. It will dramatically impact how our Institute of Optics educates and trains the next generation of researchers and leaders. The fact that Optica has already come on board is a testament to the important work being done here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wendi Heinzelman<\/a>, dean of the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences<\/a>, says the gift will make it easier for others to contribute. \u201cThe match that Jim and Tammy are providing makes establishing a professorship that much more feasible for others who are thinking about a large gift. Because of their generosity, the Institute of Optics will play a key role advancing the field of optics\u2014now and into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Thomas Brown, the Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor and Director of the Institute of Optics (University of Rochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Institute director Thomas Brown<\/a> says, \u201cThe collective generosity here\u2014from Jim, Tammy, Optica, and others soon\u2014is instrumental to the institute\u2019s growth and success. It provides an extraordinary opportunity to build upon the unique environment and culture for optics that has been established here and elevate the institute\u2019s preeminent position in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

A key part of the gifting process, Heinzelman says, was Brown\u2019s \u201cphenomenal\u201d work in creating a compelling vision for the institute in consultation with faculty, students, staff, alumni, and industry partners.<\/p>\n

Addressing the growing demand for optics graduates<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The institute, the nation\u2019s oldest school of optics, has long been regarded as one of the most prestigious schools of optics in the world, Brown says. It has awarded about half of all optics degrees in the US. The institute is a leader in biomedical optics, fibers and optical communication, optical design and fabrication, lasers, and nano-, freeform, ultrafast, and quantum optics.<\/p>\n

However, Brown adds, \u201cone of our big challenges, and it\u2019s an exciting challenge, is that the international scope and size of the field of optics is growing.\u201d<\/p>\n

This has fueled an increased demand for trained optics graduates at companies, research institutes, and national laboratories. As a result, other top US optics programs have been expanding. For example, Wyant and his family pledged $20 million in 2018<\/a> in a similar challenge gift to endow 14 new optics professorships at the University of Arizona.<\/p>\n

\n

The Institute of Optics by the numbers<\/strong><\/h3>\n