Nader Engheta: Benjamin Franklin Medal
University of Pennsylvania scientist Nader Engheta has been selected as the recipient of the 2023 Benjamin Franklin Medal, one of the oldest science and technology awards in the world. The winners will be honored at a ceremony on April 27 at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
dr Engheta, H. Nedwill Ramsey Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering at the School of Engineering and Applied Science, is among nine distinguished individuals to be recognized this year with the Benjamin Franklin Medal for outstanding achievement in science, technology, and… management awards.
“As a scientist and Philadelphian, I am deeply honored and humbled to receive the Franklin Medal,” said Dr. engheta “It is the greatest compliment to receive an award whose previous recipients include some of my scientific heroes such as Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Alexander Graham Bell and Max Planck. I am very grateful to the Franklin Institute for giving me this honor.”
Larry Dubinski, President and CEO of the Franklin Institute, said, “We are proud to continue the Franklin Institute’s long-standing legacy of recognizing individuals for their contributions to humanity. These extraordinary advances in areas as important as social justice, sustainability and security clearly move the needle in the direction of positive change, laying the foundation for a remarkable future.”
dr Engheta was recognized for his transformative innovations in the development of novel materials that interact with electromagnetic waves in unprecedented ways and find broad applications in ultra-fast computing and communications technologies.
“Professor Engheta’s pioneering work in the fields of metamaterials and nano-optics points the way to new and truly revolutionary computing possibilities in the future,” said Liz Magill, President of Penn. “Penn ushered in the computer age by developing the world’s first programmable digital computer in 1945. Professor Engheta’s work continues a tradition of groundbreaking research and discovery that will change the future. We are very pleased that he is receiving the Benjamin Franklin Medal recognition.”
dr Engheta established the field of optical nanocircuits (“optical metatronics”), which brings together nanoelectronics and nanophotonics. He is also known for building and developing the field of near-zero index optics and epsilon near-zero (ENZ) materials with near-zero electrical permittivity. His work has pushed many new frontiers, including nanoscale optical computation and scatter control for stealth and transparency. His work has far-reaching implications for various fields in electrical engineering, materials science, optics, microwaves and quantum electrodynamics.
“This award recognizes Dr. Engheta’s groundbreaking advances in engineering and physics,” said Vijay Kumar, Nemirovsky family dean of Penn Engineering. “The rapid and sustainable technologies that his research in metamaterials and metatronics brings to the world are the result of a lifelong commitment to scientific curiosity. For over 35 years, Nader Engheta has embodied Penn Engineering’s mission to invent the future.”