Prof. Gérard Mourou

Professor at Haut-Collége, École Polytechnique, Palaiseau (France)
A. D. Moore Distinguished University Professor Emeritus

Gérard Albert Mourou is a French scientist and pioneer in the field of electrical engineering and lasers. He is the winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work with Donna Strickland for their method of generating high-intensity, ultrafast optical pulses based upon so-called chirped pulse amplification. This technique has been widely utilized throughout science, industry, and medicine, where it is the basis of LASIK eye surgery. Dr. Mourou was a founding director of the Center for Ultrafast Optical Science at the University of Michigan, was a director of the Laboratoire d'optique appliquée at the ENSTA, and is currently a professor at École Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France.

Education

1973 Ph.D., University of Paris VI (Université Pierre et Marie Curie)

1967 Undergraduate degree, University of Grenoble (Université de Grenoble)

Academic Appointments
2005–Present Professor, Haut-Collége, École Polytechnique, Palaiseau

1988–Present A. D. Moore Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan

2005–2009 Director, Laboratoire d'optique appliquée at the ENSTA

1990 Founding Director, Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, University of Michigan

2005-2010 Associate Professor of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD

1988–2005 Professor, University of Michigan

1977–1988 Professor, University of Rochester

1974–1977 Staff, École polytechnique de Paris

1973–1974 Postdoctoral researcher, University of California, San Diego

Honors and Awards

2018 Nobel Prize in Physics

2018 Awarded Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science, American Physical Society

2016 Frederic Ives Medal / Jarus W. Quinn Prize, Optical Society of America

2009 Charles Hard Townes Award, Optical Society of America

2005 Willis E. Lamb Award for Laser Science and Quantum Optics

2004 IEEE LEOS Quantum Electronics Award

1997 Harold E. Edgerton Award, SPIE

1995 R. W. Wood Prize, Optical Society of America