CREOL Trustee Chair Professor Shin-Tson Wu has been named the recipient of the 2026 IEEE Photonics Society Aron Kressel Award, one of the Society’s highest honors recognizing outstanding contributions to opto-electronic device technology.

Wu was selected “for innovative inventions of liquid crystal devices that led to widespread applications in modern displays, augmented reality, and virtual reality.”

The Aron Kressel Award recognizes individuals whose advances in opto-electronic device technology have had a lasting impact on major practical systems. Recipients are honored for pioneering developments that enable new technologies and transform real-world applications.

Over the course of his career, Wu’s research has helped shape the evolution of liquid crystal display technologies used in smartphones, televisions, tablets, augmented reality, virtual reality, and other advanced imaging systems. His current research at CREOL focuses on AI-assisted augmented and virtual reality displays, including next-generation light engines, optical systems, and display materials.

Wu is internationally recognized as a leader in display technology and photonics. He is a member of Academia Sinica, a Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, and a Fellow of IEEE, Optica, SID, and SPIE. His many honors include the 2026 SPIE Dennis Gabor Award, the 2025 SID Lawrence Tannas Award, the 2024 UCF Medal of Societal Impact, and the 2022 Optica Edwin H. Land Medal.

The award will be presented during the IEEE Photonics Conference, to be held November 8–12, 2026, in Denver, Colorado.

Learn more about the award and Dr. Wu’s work here.