Prof. Paras N. Prasad
Honorary Member
Professor Prasad currently holds at the University at Buffalo (SUNY) , the unique multidisciplinary position of SUNY Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Physics, Electrical Engineering, and Medicine (four departments spanning three schools), as well as the Samuel P. Capen Chair of Chemistry, and Executive Director of the multidisciplinary Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics, which he founded in 1999. His pioneering contributions in interdisciplinary chemical research at the interface of photonics, nanotechnology and biomedicine have broadly impacted healthcare, energy and optical technologies, profoundly enriching human knowledge and significantly benefitting mankind.
“Scientific American” named him among the world’s top 50 science and technology leaders. He has authored more than 800 scientific papers; four field-defining monographs, widely used in teaching worldwide, in nonlinear optics, biophotonics, nanophotonics and nanomedicine; eight edited books; and numerous patents. He introduced and advanced new frontiers of organic nonlinear optics, nanophotonics, biophotonics and nanomedicine. His many awards for research excellence include the Morley Medal and Schoellkopf Medal from the American Chemical Society; Guggenheim Fellowship; Sloan Fellowship; Western New York Health Care Industries Technology/Discovery Award; SUNY Excellence in the Pursuit of Knowledge award; UB’s first Innovation Impact award; UB President’s Medal; SPIE’s highest honor, the President’s Gold medal; Optical Society of America’s Michael Feld Biophotonics award; IEEE‘s Pioneer Award in Nanotechnology; and the American Chemical Society’s Peter Debye Award.
He is a fellow of the APS, OSA, SPIE and IEEE and listed among Thompson Reuters “Highly Cited Researchers”. His global leadership and stature have led to honorary doctorates from KTH in Sweden, the Aix-Marseille University in France, MEPhI in Russia, and Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil. Globally, his technologies have produced nine spin-off companies including publicly-traded Nanobiotix, now in advanced clinical trials for cancer therapy. Prasad has mentored many students and championed young faculty members across the globe as a leading proponent of science without borders.
Dr. Prasad has also been a leader in promoting international scientific infrastructures. He organized six “International Conferences on Frontiers of Polymers and Advanced Materials” (India, 1991; Indonesia, 1993; Malaysia, 1995; Egypt, 1997; Poland, 1999; Brazil, 2001). Each of these conferences brought together top level scientists, engineers and government representatives from more than 20 countries to develop a global infrastructure for advanced materials and emerging technologies .This conference series is still continuing for which Prasad now serves as the honorary chair.