Prem Kumar

Professor Prem Kumar, an AT&T Professor of Information Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University will deliver the 2013 Hermann Anton Haus Lecture Wednesday, April 24, 2013, 4:00 pm in the RLE conference facility, 36–428–462.  A reception will follow the lecture.

Prem Kumar is AT&T Professor of Information Technology in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Northwestern University and Director of the Center for Photonic Communication and Computing. He is also a Professor of Physics and Astronomy.  Currently, he is on leave to DARPA as a program manager in the Defense Sciences Office.  He received his Ph.D. (1980) in physics from SUNY Buffalo and joined the faculty at Northwestern in 1986 after five years at MIT.

Prof. Kumar’s research focuses on photonic devices and applications utilizing the principles of nonlinear and quantum optics.  Areas of current activities include generation, distribution, and ultrafast processing of quantum entanglement for cryptography and computing; novel optical amplifiers and devices for networked communications; and quantum light states for precision measurements and imaging.

Prof. Kumar is a Fellow of the OSA, APS, IEEE, IoP (UK), AAAS, and SPIE. In 2004 he received the 5th International Quantum Communication Award from Tamagawa University, Tokyo, Japan and in 2006 the Martin E. and Gertrude G. Walder Research Excellence Award from Northwestern University.  He is actively engaged in professional society activities, was a Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Photonics Society during 2008–2010, and recently was a co-author of the 2012 National Academy of Sciences report “Optics & Photonics: Essential Technologies for Our Nation.”

The Hermann Anton Haus Lecture is RLE’s visiting lecturer program designed to bring the leading world researchers in fields congruent with RLE interests to RLE to share their thoughts and perspectives with the MIT community. The lecture honors the memory of Professor Haus, and continues the process of collaborative dialogue that he promoted throughout his lifetime.

The lecture is open to all interested members of the RLE and MIT communities.

Related Links:

The Hermann Anton Haus Fund