EECS Ph.D Student Alireza Bonakdar Awarded SPIE Optics & Photonics Education Scholarship

EECS Ph.D Student Alireza Bonakdar has been awarded a 2014 Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship in the amount of $3000 by the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) for his potential contributions to the field of photonics.

Bonakdar is currently Research Assistant working in the Bio-inspired Sensors and Optoelectronics Laboratory (BiSOL) under Prof. Hooman Mohseni. His research is to design and develop novel optical antennas, which can enhance the quantum efficiency of an ultra-small quantum infrared photodetector. In addition, his research involves the design and development of a new class of optical antenna – the optomechanical nanoantenna, which leads to ultra-fast and highly compact optical nanoswitches.

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In 2014 SPIE awarded $353,000 in education and travel scholarships to 144 outstanding individuals, based on their potential contribution to optics and photonics, or a related discipline. SPIE scholarships are open to full- and part-time students studying anywhere in the world.