Robert A. Norwood

Professor of Optical Sciences

Contact Information

  • Telephone:
    520-626-0936
  • Email:
    rnorwood@optics.arizona.edu
  • Mailing Address:
    Dr. Robert A. Norwood
    University of Arizona
    Optical Sciences
    Meinel Building
    1630 East University Boulevard
    Tucson, Arizona  85721  USA

Education

  • PhD, University of Pennsylvania, 1988

  • BS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1983

  • BS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1983

Employment

  • University of Arizona: Optical Sciences, Professor, 2009-present; Research Professor, 2004-2009.
  • Photon-X:  Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, 1999-2003.
  • AlliedSignal:  Senior Technical Leader, 1998-1999; Senior Project Leader, 1996-1998; Senior Research Scientist, 1995 – 1996.
  • Hoechst Celanese:  Staff Physicist/Project Leader, 1995; Special Assignment, AZ Photoresist, 1994-1995; Staff Physicist/Project Leader, 1993-1994; Senior Research Physicist, 1992-1993; Supervisor, Advanced Technology Laboratory, Hoechst Japan, 1992; Senior Research Physicist, 1990 - 1991; Research Physicist, 1988-1990.
  • Haverford College:  Visiting Instructor, 1988.
  • University of Pennsylvania:  Research and Teaching Fellow, 1983-1988

Professional Affiliations, Activities, and Honors

  • Subcommittee D Chair, Optical Fiber Communications (OFC) Conference, 2006

  • Technical Program Committee, OFC 2003-2005

  • Conference Co-Chair, Linear and Nonlinear Optics of Organic Materials, 2004-2006

  • Conference Chair, Linear Optical Properties of Organic Materials, 1999-2003

  • Program Committee, Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO), 2002-2004

  • American Physical Society, Member

  • Optical Society of America, Member

  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Member

  • Reviewer for: Applied Optics, Applied Physics Letters, Electronics Letters, IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, Optics Letters, Journal of Applied Physics, Journal of the Optical Society of America B, Journal of Physical Chemistry, Chemistry of Materials, and agency proposals.  

Research

  • Long-term research goals are to further the understanding and performance of organic and polymeric materials for photonics and electronics applications. 
  • Ongoing projects in:  electro-optic polymers and devices, photorefractive polymers, polymer/nanoparticle composites, sol-gels, materials for linear and nonlinear photonic crystals, organic light emitting diodes, solar cells, sensors, tunable optical filters and nonlinear optical materials.
  • Additional research interests include engineered dielectric materials, materials for advanced photolithography, and precise measurement of thin film linear optical properties.