John D. Joannopoulos

2024–2025

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Huntington Hall (10-250)

4–5 PM

Working at the Speed of Light

John Joannopoulos, an innovator and mentor in the fields of theoretical condensed matter physics and nanophotonics, has been named the recipient of the 2024-2025 James R. Killian Jr. Faculty Achievement Award. He gave his Killian Award Lecture on Thursday, March 13, 2025 at 4:00 pm in Huntington Hall (10-250).

Joannopoulos is the Francis Wright Davis Professor of Physics and director of the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies. He has been a member of the MIT faculty for 50 years.

MIT News lecture coverage: A dive into the “almost magical” potential of photonic crystals
MIT News announcement: John Joannopooulos receives 2024-2025 Killian Award

Above photo credit: Jose-Luis Olivares, MIT
Below photo gallery credit: Jake Belcher

Image of Professor Joannopoulos receiving his Killian Award certificate from Chair of the Faculty, Mary Fuller

Image of the entire lecture hall from the back row, looking towards Professor Joannopoulos as he gives his lecture

Professor Joannopoulos speaking with President Sally Kornbluth prior to giving his Killian Award Lecture

Professor Joannopoulos behind a podium, giving his Killian Award Lecture

Image of the audience during Professor Joannopoulos's Killian Award Lecture

Image of the lecture hall from the back center row, looking towards Professor Joannopoulos as he gives his lecture

Image of a portion of the audience during Professor Joannopoulos's Killian Award Lecture

Close-up image of Professor Joannopoulos as he gives his Killian Award Lecture

Professor Joannopoulos speaking with Professor Merton following the Killian Award Lecture

Peter Shor

Quantum Computing
Wolfgang Ketterle

When Freezing Cold Is Not Cold Enough
Erich P. Ippen

Femtosecond Flashes and Their Effect on the Microscopic World
Jerome I. Friedman

Are We Really Made of Quarks?
Daniel Kleppner

Views From a Garden of Worldly Delights
Mildred S. Dresselhaus

Adventures in Carbon Research
Philip Morrison

The Fruits of the Tree of Astronomy
Hermann A. Haus

“On Learning and Teaching and Electrodynamics” and “Noise, the Uncertainty Principle, and Picosecond Optics”
Chia-Chiao Lin

Topics in Applied Mathematics
Victor F. Weisskopf

“The Search for the Ultimate Structure of Matter” and “The Frontiers and Limits of Science”

John D. Joannopoulos

Related

Peter Shor

Wolfgang Ketterle

Erich P. Ippen

Jerome I. Friedman

Daniel Kleppner

Mildred S. Dresselhaus

Philip Morrison

Hermann A. Haus

Chia-Chiao Lin

Victor F. Weisskopf