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Andrei Faraon (BS ’04), the William L. Valentine Professor of Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering, has been appointed the next Fletcher Jones Foundation Director of the Kavli Nanoscience Institute (KNI) at Caltech. Faraon takes over the role that Julia R. Greer, the Ruben F. and Donna Mettler Professor of Materials Science, Mechanics, and Medical Engineering, has held since October 2019. Greer will now assume the position of Caltech’s executive officer for applied physics and materials science.
Since its founding in 2003, KNI has functioned as an intellectual center on campus aimed at promoting interdisciplinary research at the nanoscale. The institute has supplied essential infrastructure and resources in nanoscience and nanotechnology that empower faculty, students, and researchers to advance discoveries in fields like quantum engineering, innovative device fabrication, electronics, medical engineering, materials science, photonics, and even the origins of the solar system.
“I am extremely enthusiastic about assuming the role of KNI director,” Faraon expresses. “My research group utilizes KNI for numerous projects, and I have gained significant advantages from the KNI cleanroom facilities throughout my tenure at Caltech.”
Looking ahead, Faraon mentions that one of his objectives is to enhance KNI’s nanofabrication capabilities by upgrading its electron beam lithography and plasma-etching tools. He also aspires to broaden KNI’s influence on student education at both undergraduate and graduate tiers. “We provide nanofabrication courses that utilize equipment in KNI, and we also host undergraduate summer students,” he adds. “KNI is crucial in training the next generation of scientists.”
Faraon’s research investigates the connection between light and matter, down to the interaction of individual atoms and photons. He develops nanophotonic technologies for both classical and quantum applications, including optically addressable quantum bits, optical storage solutions for quantum computing, and metasurfaces and metamaterials for imaging purposes.
Faraon received his bachelor’s degree at Caltech and completed his postgraduate studies at Stanford University. Following a postdoctoral role at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, he returned to Caltech as an assistant professor in 2012. He achieved full professorship in 2018 and was appointed the Valentine Professor in 2023.
Among various accolades, Faraon was recognized as an Optica Fellow in 2020 after receiving the Adolph Lomb Medal in 2018, awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to optics early in their careers. He was named a KNI-Wheatley Scholar by KNI in 2016 and received the Naval Research Office Young Investigator Award in the same year. Additionally, he was honored with a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and an Air Force Office for Scientific Research Young Investigator Award in 2015.
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