Harry A. Atwater, Jr.

Harry A. Atwater, Jr. holds the Otis Booth Leadership Chair of the Division of Engineering and Applied Science and serves as the Howard Hughes Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science at the California Institute of Technology. He directs the Department of Energy-funded Liquid Sunlight Alliance, a multi-institutional initiative advancing solar fuel technologies.

His academic journey includes a B.S. (1982), M.S. (1983), and Ph.D. (1987) in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Career progression at Caltech spans Assistant Professor (1988-94), Associate Professor (1994-99), full Professor (1999), and Howard Hughes Professor (2002-present), with leadership roles including Director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute (2009-15) and Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (2014-21).

Research spans the light-energy-nanoscale nexus with critical focus areas:

• Quantum nanophotonics and plasmonic light manipulation
• Metamaterials for solar spectrum engineering
• Artificial photosynthesis and carbon-neutral fuel production
• Space-based solar power systems and lightsail propulsion
• Two-dimensional materials for ultra-thin optoelectronics
• Carbon capture membrane technologies

Recent publications (2024-2025) reveal accelerating innovation in photonic climate solutions, featuring breakthroughs in nonreciprocal thermal emitters, dynamically tunable metasurfaces, and experimental lightsail validation. Key trends include space-based solar power demonstration, atomically thin optical devices, and quantum emitter characterization for next-generation photonic circuits.

Major initiatives include the Liquid Sunlight Alliance (DOE Energy Innovation Hub), Caltech Space Solar Power Project (successful 2024 in-space wireless power transmission), and leadership in the NSF Quantum Virtual Laboratory. His group has secured transformative funding for lightsail propulsion research and carbon capture startups like Captura (XPRIZE winner).

The Atwater Research Group operates cutting-edge laboratories for nanofabrication and optical characterization, currently advancing deployable space solar arrays, high-efficiency photoelectrochemical cells, and metasurface-based wireless communication systems with applications in secure satellite networks.