Verdeyen, Joseph

2001 Distinguished Alumni Award

In recognition of three decades of leadership in teaching and pioneering research in laser and microwave interferometry and gaseous electronics

After earning his PhD from the University of Illinois in 1962, Joseph Verdeyen joined the faculty here as an associate professor. Since that time, he has held a number of influential roles in the ECE department, including director of the Compound Semiconductor Microelectronics Laboratory and Director of the Gaseous Electronics Laboratory. In his research he developed the coupled-cavity laser interferometer, which was a major advance in plasma and laser diagnostics. He published the first demonstration of a thermally pumped CO2 laser. He was a pioneer in the field of nuclear-pumped lasers and co-discovered the nuclear-driven Ne-N2 laser. He pioneered the use of semiconductor lasers in atomic spectroscopy.

Verdeyen is a Senior Member of IEEE, is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and is the author of Laser Electronics, a highly respected textbook in its field.