Robert BoydView profile
Professor
Robert Boyd is a Professor of Optics and Physics at the University of Rochester and holds a Canada Excellence Research Chair at the University of Ottawa. He leads major research initiatives in nonlinear optics, quantum optics, and metamaterials. His work spans theoretical and applied optics, with focus on nonlinear optical interactions, epsilon-near-zero materials, and advanced imaging techniques. Education: BS in Physics from MIT (1977), PhD in Physics from UC Berkeley (1977), supervised by Charles Townes. He joined the University of Rochester faculty in 1977 and expanded his research to the University of Ottawa in 2010. His research group operates in both institutions, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaborations. Research interests include nonlinear optical properties of materials, quantum optics, nanophotonics, and metamaterials. His team explores applications like optical imaging, plasmonic devices, and high-efficiency nonlinear processes in novel materials. Awards include Fellowships from the Optical Society of America and American Physical Society. He authored seminal textbooks such as Nonlinear Optics (1992) and holds nine US patents. His group’s work has produced over 350 publications and trained 33 PhD students. Labs and teams: The Boyd Group operates at both universities, with teams focused on nonlinear optics, quantum photonics, and metamaterials. Active projects include epsilon-near-zero-based devices, high-harmonic generation, and turbulence-resilient optical communications.







