McCormick Prof. Koray Aydin won the 2017 Young Investigator Program award from the Office of Naval Research for his work in nanophotonic materials and devices.

Aydin, who is an assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, will receive $510,000 over three years for his research in “the design of dynamic optical components that adapt to their environment,” according to a news release.

The Young Investigator Program award is presented to scientists and engineers with the potential of conducting creative research. The money will be used for “novel optical components whose properties can be tuned and controlled with an external stimulus such as optical, electronic or thermal stimulation.”

“This great honor recognizes our work at the forefront of nanophotonics,” Aydin said in the news release. “Our work has huge potential to advance technologies relevant to the Navy and Department of Defense.”

Aydin’s work focuses on nanophotonics, which studies the behavior of light on a nanometer scale and how objects on the nanometer scale interact with light. Through his research, he is trying to not only understand the interaction between light and nanoscale photonic materials but also control and manipulate these interactions.

Aydin expressed high hopes for the future of his research group following the award.

“The award will not only support my research program, but it also will bring additional visibility to my research group,” Aydin said in the release.

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Twitter: @ck_525