Optica Student Chapter - Traveling Lecturer Seminar
Lessons Learned on a Road Less Travelled
Prof. John Ballato
J. E. Sirrine Textile Foundation Endowed Chair of Optical Fibers and Professor, Clemson University
Time: Wednesday, August 12th 2026 at 11:00AM
Location: Physics Research Building 4138
ABSTRACT: Prof. Ballato’s career has been somewhat inverted compared to many academics. This includes early career senior administrative roles and entrepreneurial ventures returning to the “regular faculty” each time. This seminar will highlight those activities and the lessons learned along the way for students and faculty curious about life beyond the classroom and laboratory.
BIO: John Ballato is a professor of materials science and engineering at Clemson University, where he also holds the J. E. Sirrine Endowed Chair of Optical Fiber. He joined the faculty at Clemson University (Clemson, SC) in 1997 after earning a BS degree 1993 and the PhD 1997 in ceramic science and engineering from Rutgers University. Under his leadership, the Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies COMSET was formed at Clemson in 2000. Over the 14 years he directed COMSET, the center grew to 40 faculty members and subsequently attracted nearly $100 million in research support. Ballato subsequently served as Clemson’s Vice President for Research and as Vice President for Economic Development. Ballato has published over 650 technical papers and holds more than 40 patents. Among numerous other honors, he is the recipient of the George W. Morey Award (ACerS, 2022), the William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award (IEEE Photonics Society, 2022), and the Aden and Marjorie Meinel Technology Achievement Award (SPIE, 2025). Ballato is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS, 2019), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE, 2017), the American Physical Society (APS, 2020), Optica (2012), the SPIE (2011), and the American Ceramic Society (ACerS, 2009). Ballato currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Elsevier journal, Optical Materials. A serial entrepreneur, Ballato has co-founded 3 companies. Ballato also served as a Director of the AVX Corporation, a leading international manufacturer and supplier of advanced electronic components, which was publicly traded on the NYSE prior to its acquisition by Kyocera in 2020.
- No Registration Needed - Refreshments will be provided - This event is open to the public -
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The Institute for Optical Science is a community of multidisciplinary researchers studying the fundamental properties of light and harnessing these properties in practical applications for significant benefit to society.
