Rice University Professor Rebecca Richards-Kortum Named Optical Society Fellow

Rebecca Richards-Kortum has been elected a fellow of the Optical Society (OSA) — the leading professional society for scientists, engineers, students and business leaders who fuel discoveries, shape real-world applications and accelerate achievements in the science of light. She is one of 71 new OSA fellows.

OSA fellows are nominated by current fellows and selected for their overall impact on optics as gauged through specific scientific, engineering and technological contributions, a record of significant publications or patents related to optics, technical leadership in the field and service to OSA and the global optics community.

Richards-Kortum is Rice’s Stanley C. Moore Professor and chair of the Department of Bioengineering and a professor of electrical and computer engineering. She is director of both Beyond Traditional Borders and Rice 360°: Institute for Global Health Technology and oversees the Optical Spectroscopy and Imaging Laboratory.

For two decades, Richards-Kortum has focused on translating research that integrates advances in nanotechnology and molecular imaging with microfabrication technologies to develop portable optical imaging systems that are inexpensive and provide point-of-care diagnosis. This basic and translational research is highly collaborative and has led to new technologies to improve the early detection of cancers and other diseases, especially in impoverished countries.