Biography
Dr. Shin-Tson Wu is a Trustee Chair Professor at CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics. Prior to joining UCF in 2001, he was with Hughes Research Laboratories (Malibu, California) where the first laser and liquid-crystal-on-silicon were invented. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from University of Southern California (Los Angeles) and BS in Physics from National Taiwan University (Taipei). His research interests at UCF focus on augmented reality and virtual reality, including light engines (mini-LEDs, micro-LEDs, and OLEDs), optical systems (lightguide, diffractive optics, and projection optics), and display materials (liquid crystals, quantum dots, and perovskites).
Dr. Wu is a recipient of the SID Lawrence Tannas Award (2025), UCF Medal of Societal Impact (2024), Optica/IS&T Edwin H. Land medal (2022), SPIE Maria Goeppert-Mayer award (2022), OSA (now Optica) Esther Hoffman Beller Medal (2014), SID Slottow-Owaki Prize (2011), OSA Joseph Fraunhofer Award (2010), SPIE G. G. Stokes Award (2008), and SID Jan Rajchman Prize (2008). He has co-authored 7 books, 690 journal papers and 330 conference papers, and obtained 100 issued US patents. His publications have accumulated over 56,500 citations, with an h-index of 114.
Dr. Wu is an Academician of Academia Sinica (2022), a Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (2012), a member of Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida, and one of the first six inductees to the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame (2014). He is a Fellow of the IEEE, OSA, SID and SPIE. In the past, he served as the founding Editor-In-Chief of IEEE/OSA Journal of Display Technology, OSA Publications Council Chair and OSA Board of Directors, and SID Honors and Awards committee chair.
Awards & Honors
- 2025: SID Lawrence Tannas Award
- 2024: UCF Medal of Societal Impact
- 2023: UCF Excellence in Research Award
- 2023: CREOL Excellence in Research Award
- 2022: Academician of Academia Sinica
- 2022: Optica/IS&T Edwin H. Land Medal
- 2022: SPIE Maria Goeppert Mayer Award
- 2014: OSA Esther Hoffman Beller Medal
- 2014: Florida Inventors Hall of Fame
- 2012: National Academy of Inventors
- 2011: SID Slottow-Owaki Prize
- 2010 OSA Joseph Fraunhofer Award/Robert M. Burley Prize
- 2008 SID Jan Rajchman Prize
- 2008 SPIE G. G. Stokes Award
Research Group
- Augmented reality and virtual reality: Optical systems
- Microdisplays: mini-LED, micro-LED, and OLED
- Imaging optics: Deflectors, gratings, and lenses
Research Scientists
Graduate Students
Yuqiang Ding
Optics Ph.D.
Yizhou Qian
Optics Ph.D.
John Semmen
Optics Ph.D.
Hosna Tajvidi Safa
Optics Ph.D.
Publications
H. Tajvidi Safa, J. Semmen, Y. Ding, and S. T. Wu "Colorless photoalignment material for fabricating liquid crystal holographic optical elements" Opt. Express 33(9), 19490-19503 (2025)
K. Nilsen, Y. Ding, S. L. Lee, and S. T. Wu "Comparisons of glass and plastic waveguides for augmented reality glasses" Opt. Express 33(9), 20051-20062 (2025)
Z. Luo, Y. Zhang, Y. Ding, and S. T. Wu "Enhancing the virtual reality optical efficiency via emission cone optimization of the display panel " Opt. Express 33(8), 17544-17550 (2025)
Yizhou Qian, Seok-Lyul Lee, and Shin-Tson Wu "High-efficiency continuous multiple-quantum-well red AlGaInP µLED with reduced crosstalk for AR light engines" Journal of the Society for the Information Display 33, 1-9 (2025). DOI: 10.1002/jsid.2063 (2025)
Y. Qian, Z. Yang, S. C. Chen, Y. Ma, H.S. Chen, C. L. Lin, and S. T. Wu "Power consumption of light engines for emerging augmented reality glasses: perspectives and challenges" Adv. Photonics 7(3), 034001 (2025)
Yuqiang Ding, Xiaojin Huang, Yongziyan Ma, Yan Li, and Shin-Tson Wu "High-efficiency RGB achromatic liquid crystal diffractive optical elements" Opto-Electronic Advances 8(3), 240181 (2025)
Yuqiang Ding, Yefu Zhang, Yongziyan Ma, Yuge Huang, and Shin-Tson Wu "Polarization conversion effect in cholesteric liquid crystal-based polarization volume gratings" Optics Express 32(25), 44425-44436 (2024)
Saiji, SJ (Saiji, Shruti Jayaprakash) [1] , [2] ; Tang, YT (Tang, Yiteng) [1] ; Wu, ST (Wu, Shin-Tson) [2] ; Stand, L (Stand, Luis) [3] ; Tratsiak, Y (Tratsiak, Yauhen) [3] ; Dong, YJ (Dong, Yajie) [1] , [2] "Metal halide perovskite polymer composites for indirect X-ray detection " NANOSCALE 16(38), 17654-17682 (2024)
Yan Li and Shin-Tson Wu "Advancing from scalar to vectorial liquid crystal holography: a paradigm shift" Light Science & Applications, 13(1), 207 (2024)
Yuqiang Ding, Yuchen Gu, Qian Yang, Zhiyong Yang, Yuge Huang, Yishi Weng, Yuning Zhang, Shin-Tson Wu "Breaking the in-coupling efficiency limit in waveguide-based AR displays with polarization volume gratings" Light-Science & Applications 13(1), 185 (2024)
Zhenyi Luo, Yuqiang Ding, Fenglin Peng, Ziqian He, Yun Wang, Shin-Tson Wu "Compact and High-Efficiency Liquid-Crystal-on-Silicon for Augmented Reality Displays" Photonics 11(7), 699 (2024)
Jang-Kun Song and Shin-Tson Wu "Optical Materials and Applications for AR and VR Display Systems" ACS Applied Optical Materials, 2(7), 1245-1246 (2024)
Zhiyong Yang, Zhenyi Luo, Yuqiang Ding, Yizhou Qian, Sung-Chun Chen, Chih-Lung Lin, Shin-Tson Wu "Advances and challenges in microdisplays and imaging optics for virtual reality and mixed reality" Device, 2(6), 100398 (2024)
Yizhou Qian, Chen, Sung-Chun Chen, Hsiang, En-Lin Hsiang, Hajime Akimoto, Chih-Lung Lin, Shin-Tson Wu "Enhancing a Display's Sunlight Readability with Tone Mapping" Photonics 11(6) (2024)
Yizhou Qian, En-Lin Hsiang, Yu-Hsin Huang, Kuan-Heng Lin, Shin-Tson Wu "High-Efficiency Vertical-Chip Micro-Light-Emitting Diodes via p-GaN Optimization and Surface Passivation" Crystals 14(6), 503 (2024)
Zhenyi Luo, Yuqiang Ding, Fenglin Peng, Guohua Wei, Yun Wang, and Shin-Tson Wu "Ultracompact and high-efficiency liquid-crystal-on-silicon light engines for augmented reality" Opto-Electronic Advances, 7(10), 240039 (2024)
Zhenyi Luo, Yuqiang Ding, Qian Yang, and Shin-Tson Wu "Ghost image analysis for pancake virtual reality systems" Optics Express 32(10), 17211-17219 (2024)
Yuqiang Ding, Zhenyi Luo, Garimagai Borjigin, and Shin-Tson Wu "High-efficiency and ultracompact pancake optics for virtual reality" Journal of the Society for Information Display, 32(5), 341-349 (2024)
Yang, Q (Yang, Qian) [1] ; Ding, YQ (Ding, Yuqiang) [1] ; Wu, ST (Wu, Shin-Tson) [1] "Full-color, wide field-of-view single-layer waveguide for augmented reality displays" Journal of the Society for Information Display (2024)
Q. Yang, Y. Ding and S. T. Wu "Full-color, wide FoV single-layer waveguide for AR displays" J. Soc. Inf. Display. 32, 1-8 (2024)
Alumni
PhD
Qian Yang, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2024Zhiyong Yang, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2024
En-Lin Hsiang, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2023
Yannanqi Li, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2023
Junyu Zou, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2023
Jianghao Xiong, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2022
Kun Yin, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2022
Ziqian He, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2021
Tao Zhan, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2021
Fangwang Gou, Optics Ph.D., Summer 2020
Yuge "Esther" Huang, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2020
Juan "Rachel" He, Optics Ph.D., Summer 2019
Md Javed Rouf Talukder, Optics Ph.D., Summer 2019
Guanjun Tan, Optics Ph.D., Summer 2019
Yun-Han Lee, Optics Ph.D., Fall 2018
Haiwei Chen, Optics Ph.D., Fall 2017
Ruidong Zhu, Optics Ph.D., Fall 2017
Fenglin Peng, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2017
Daming Xu, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2016
Sihui He, Optics Ph.D., Summer 2015
Zhenyue Luo, Optics Ph.D., Summer 2015
Yuan Chen, Optics Ph.D., Summer 2014
Yifan Liu, Optics Ph.D., Summer 2014
Jie Sun, Optics Ph.D., Fall 2013
Jin Yan, Optics Ph.D., Summer 2013
Hui-Chuan "Ethan" Cheng, Optics Ph.D., Fall 2012
Yan Li, Optics Ph.D., Fall 2012
Su Xu, Optics Ph.D., Fall 2012
Linghui Rao, Optics Ph.D., Summer 2012
Kuan Ming Chen, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2012
Sergiy Mokhov, Optics Ph.D., Summer 2011
Meizi Jiao, Optics Ph.D., Fall 2010
Qiong Song, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2010
Zhibing Ge, Electrical Engineering Ph.D., Fall 2008
Ying Zhou, Optics Ph.D., Summer 2008
Qi Hong, Electrical Engineering Ph.D., Spring 2006
Yi-Hsin Lin, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2006
Chien-Hui "Vicky" Wen, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2006
Yung-Hsun Wu, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2006
Fang Du, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2005
Yun-Hsing "Claire" Fan, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2005
Jun "Daniel" Li, Optics Ph.D., Spring 2005
Haiying Wang, Electrical Engineering Ph.D., Spring 2005