World-renowned physicist wins top engineering research prize to further nanoscale chip technology

Stanford’s Mark Brongersma has been awarded the IET’s prestigious £350,000 A F Harvey Prize.

A world-leading physicist and materials engineer pioneering nanoscale optoelectronic devices and methods – which deliver faster internet, more immersive virtual reality, generate clean energy and have even helped to see through skin – has been awarded the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) prestigious £350,000 A F Harvey Engineering Research Prize.

Mark Brongersma is a professor at Stanford University, where he leads a lab on the development of optoelectronic materials and devices. He is a recognised world leader in the field of nanoscale photonics – the science of controlling the flow of light at incredibly small scales.

Professor Brongersma’s research aims to discover how designer nanostructures can effectively absorb, scatter and emit light. One might naively expect that such extremely small structures would weakly interact with light, but it turns out that the opposite is true. Nanoscale metallic, semiconductor, and insulating structures can strongly enhance the interaction of light and materials by resonating light waves. This is similar to the way vibrational resonances in a guitar string and its body can make sounds louder and richer.

After learning about these optical resonances, Brongersma and his group asked themselves how their new insights could be applied to improve the many light-based technologies that surround us. This led to an exciting journey to improve and enhance the functionality of optoelectronic components used in optical communication, augmented and virtual reality, displays, solar energy harvesting, hydrogen fuel generation, solid-state lighting, non-linear optics and neuroscience.

He has developed a myriad of new ways to tune light resonances by shaping and combining different nanostructured materials. He discovered that at this small scale, each part of a device can serve multiple purposes at once, such as a single nanowire can carry electrical signals, manage heat dissipation, and steer light. This approach has led to breakthroughs in technologies we use every day, from better displays and solar panels to advanced communication systems, bridging the gap between cutting-edge science and practical solutions.

On being announced as the winner, Professor Brongersma said: "I’m truly honoured winning this very prestigious prize in engineering, especially after seeing the incredible list of previous award winners and shortlisted candidates. Each of them has had a transformative impact on our engineering discipline. I am also extremely grateful to all my group members and collaborators who have really made this possible and who inspire me every day.

“With this prize, I am excited to pursue the fabrication of the thinnest possible optoelectronic devices by harnessing the optical resonances that naturally occur in atomically-thin materials. By carefully controlling their resonant vibrations (phonons) and electronic excitations (excitons), it will be possible to create entirely new optoelectronic devices that can efficiently emit and steer light.”

Brongersma is the Stephen Harris Professor of the School of Engineering, a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Professor, by courtesy, of Applied Physics at Stanford University. His research has been translated into practice through many industry collaborations, and he co-founded a company to fabricate and utilise nanostructures at scale. He received the Walter Gores Award for excellence in teaching and the International Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in Physical Sciences. He is a Fellow of OPTICA, MRS, SPIE, and APS.

IET President Dawn Ohlson said: “The IET’s A F Harvey Engineering Research Prize helps leading scientists and engineers push the boundaries of innovation. Professor Brongersma is transforming nanoscale optoelectronic technology – a field that could further change how we communicate, power our homes, and experience the world. We’re proud to support the next stage of his groundbreaking research.”

Professor Brongersma will present his work at a keynote lecture, hosted by the IET, on 12 March 2026. The event will be broadcast live and followed by a Q&A session.

The A F Harvey prize is named after Dr A F Harvey who gave a generous sum of money to the IET for a trust fund to be set up in his name to further research in the specified fields of medical, microwave and radar, and laser/optoelectronic engineering, with the prize fund awarded to support the research of the recipient.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

About Mark Brongersma 

Mark Brongersma is a professor at Stanford University, where he leads a lab on the development of optoelectronic materials and devices. He is a recognised world leader in the field of nanoscale photonics – the science of controlling the flow of light at incredibly small scales. 
Mark Brongersma is the Stephen Harris Professor of the School of Engineering, a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Professor, by courtesy, of Applied Physics at Stanford University. He received the Walter Gores Award for excellence in teaching and the International Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in Physical Sciences. He is a Fellow of OPTICA, MRS, SPIE, and APS.

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