Krzysztof Patorski: The 2021 SPIE Chandra S. Vikram Award in Optical Metrology
The pioneering work of Krzysztof Patorski on self-imaging phenomena, Talbot interferometry, Fresnel diffraction of periodic structures, and grating interferometry, have made the Warsaw University of Technology professor a world-class specialist in these fields, and his recent collaborative work with other researchers in automatic processing of fringe patterns continues to make waves in the optical metrology community. His career-long developments in the fields of interferometry and fringe pattern analysis have found application in a variety of scientific and engineering fields including optical metrology (interferometry, holography, speckle, and structured light); experimental mechanics and material science; and bioengineering and medical imaging. His research on moiré fringes to analyze scoliosis and human posture has been implemented in commercial systems in Poland, in the medical field as well as furniture design, and his interest in biomedical engineering resulted in development of structured illumination methods for optical sectioning and fringe analysis for phase microscopy for cancer-cells testing.
An active teacher and mentor, Patorski has inspired generations of students who now contribute to the advancement of optical sciences on an international level. He also nurtured the development of applied optics in Poland, deeply impacting the global optics community. Along with Malgorzata Kujawinska, recipient of the 2021 SPIE Dennis Gabor Award in Diffractive Optics, Patorski initiated and organized SPIE conferences in Poland in the early 1990s, effectively contributing to opening the door between the former Eastern Bloc optics communities and the West. He was influential in establishing the Warsaw University of Technology as an important center for optical sciences in Poland. An SPIE Fellow since 1998, Patorski has been an active supporter of SPIE student chapters.
"I have known Professor Patorski for nearly 30 years, first as a student and then as a colleague and co-author of research publications," says Tomasz Tkaczyk, a professor of bioengineering at Rice University. "He is an exceptional scientist who can deeply understand theory and application of coherent and incoherent light propagation and its interactions. He is also a deeply dedicated individual in terms of educating, spreading the knowledge of his science, and enabling the new work of many students and researchers, bringing down any imaginable barriers."
Meet the other 2021 SPIE Society Award winners.
Read more about Krzysztof Patorski and the SPIE Chandra S. Vikram Award in Optical Metrology.
