The American Physical Society has selected Szymon Suckewer,
professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and co-director of
the Program in Plasma Science and Technology, to receive the 2007
Arthur Schawlow Prize in Laser Science.
Awarded annually to recognize a scientist's outstanding contributions
to basic research using lasers, the prize will be presented to Suckewer
to honor his "pioneering contributions to the generation of ultra-short
wavelength and femtosecond lasers and X-ray microscopy."
Suckewer, who earned his Ph.D. and D.Sc. in physics from Warsaw
University in Poland, has been a member of the Princeton faculty since
1987. Prior to his time at the University, he spent 12 years conducting
research at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. He is a fellow of
the American Physical Society and the Optical Society of America. In
2005, he received another major prize in the field, the W.E. Lamb Medal
for "outstanding contributions to laser science, especially the
development of X-ray lasers."
His research interests include the development and application of X-ray
lasers and ultra-short pulse lasers. In addition to ongoing work with
lasers to study the properties and dynamics of matter, Suckewer
recently expanded his research efforts to include the use of lasers in
biomaterials and medical devices.