Richards-Kortum elected fellow of Optical Society

Rebecca Richards-Kortum has been elected a fellow of the Optical Society (OSA) — the leading professional society for scientists, engineers, students and business leaders who fuel discoveries, shape real-world applications and accelerate achievements in the science of light. She is one of 71 new OSA fellows.

Rebecca Richards-Kortum

OSA fellows are nominated by current fellows and selected for their overall impact on optics as gauged through specific scientific, engineering and technological contributions, a record of significant publications or patents related to optics, technical leadership in the field and service to OSA and the global optics community.

Richards-Kortum is Rice’s Stanley C. Moore Professor and chair of the Department of Bioengineering and a professor of electrical and computer engineering. She is director of both Beyond Traditional Borders and Rice 360°: Institute for Global Health Technology and oversees the Optical Spectroscopy and Imaging Laboratory.

For two decades, Richards-Kortum has focused on translating research that integrates advances in nanotechnology and molecular imaging with microfabrication technologies to develop portable optical imaging systems that are inexpensive and provide point-of-care diagnosis. This basic and translational research is highly collaborative and has led to new technologies to improve the early detection of cancers and other diseases, especially in impoverished countries.