Dr. Manuel Guizar-Sicairos, beamline scientist at the cSAXS beamline, is the 2019 recipient of the International Commission for Optics (ICO) Prize. The award recognizes Guizar-Sicairos “for seminal contributions to method and algorithm development, and application of coherent lensless imaging, ptychography, x-ray nanotomography, and scanning small-angle x-ray scattering.” The ICO Prize is given each year to an individual, before age 40, who has made a noteworthy contribution to optics, as measured “chiefly by its impact (past or possibly future) on the field of optics generally, opening a subfield or significantly expanding an established subfield in research or technology.”
The award ceremony, originally scheduled in 2020 but postponed due to SARS-CoV-2, took place during the European Optical Society Annual Meeting (EOSAM) in September 2021 in Rome. The Prize was given by Prof. Gilles Pauliat, President of the European Optical Society. After the ceremony Guizar-Sicairos gave a plenary presentation on "Harnessing coherence and computational imaging for nanoscale structure characterization using X-rays."
Guizar-Sicairos’ research focuses on the development and advancement of novel techniques and image reconstruction algorithms for X-ray coherent diffractive imaging, ptychography, and scanning small angle X-ray scattering (sSAXS). He is interested in novel approaches to probe nanoscale structure through high-resolution nano-tomography, in particular in extensions to higher dimensions via spectroscopy or dynamic imaging. These techniques find numerous applications in biological, energy, and materials science.
The ICO is an affiliated commission of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) and a scientific associate of the International Council of Science (ICSU). Its objective is to contribute, on an international basis, to the progress and diffusion of knowledge in the fields of optics and photonics.