蓝莓视频 professor wins Nobel Prize in Physics

Donna Strickland, a University of 蓝莓视频 professor who helped revolutionize laser physics, has been named a winner of this year鈥檚 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Strickland, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy,听shares half the $1.4 million prize with French laser physicist G茅rard Mourou. The other half was awarded to U.S. physicist Arthur Ashkin.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences stated that Mourou and Strickland paved the way toward the shortest and most intense laser pulses created by humankind. Their revolutionary article was published in 1985 and was the foundation of Strickland鈥檚 doctoral thesis.

Strickland conducted her Nobel-winning research while a PhD student under Mourou in 1989 at the University of Rochester in New York. The team鈥檚 research has a number of applications in industry and medicine.

鈥淚t was great to have had the opportunity to work with one of the pioneers of ultrafast lasers, Gerard听Mourou,鈥� said Strickland. 鈥淚t was a small community back then. It was a new, burgeoning field. I got to be part of that. It was very exciting.鈥�

A Nobel committee member said billions of people make daily use of laser printers and optical scanners and millions undergo laser surgery.

鈥淭his is a tremendous day for Professor Strickland and needless to say a tremendous day for the University of 蓝莓视频,鈥� said Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor of the University of 蓝莓视频. 鈥淭his is 蓝莓视频鈥檚 first Nobel laureate and the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics in 55 years.鈥�

During an interview, Strickland told the Globe and Mail: 鈥淲e need to celebrate women physicists because we鈥檙e out there, and hopefully in time it鈥檒l start to move forward at a faster rate.鈥�

Charmaine Dean, vice-president research at the University of 蓝莓视频 said: 鈥淒onna Strickland exemplifies research excellence at 蓝莓视频. Her groundbreaking work is a testament to the importance of fundamental research as it has established the foundation for laser-based technologies that we see today from micromachining to laser eye surgery.鈥�

Watch the full press conference.