Historical Faculty Awards and Honors
Optica
| 1997 Max Born Award | Boris Zeldovich (in memoriam) |
| 1999 Nicholas Holonyak Award | Dennis Deppe |
| 1999 Esther Hoffman Beller Award | Bahaa Saleh |
| 2008 Esther Hoffman Beller Award | M.J. Soileau |
| 2008 Distinguished Service Award | Bahaa Saleh |
| 2010 Joseph Fraunhofer/Robert M. Burley Prize | Shin-Tson Wu |
| 2003 R. W. Wood Prize | George Stegeman (in memoriam) |
| 2011 R. W. Wood Prize | Demetrios Christodoulides |
| 2012 R. W. Wood Prize | Eric Van Stryland |
| 2013 C.E.K. Mees Medal | Bahaa Saleh |
| 2014 R. W. Wood Prize | Michael Bass |
| 2018 Max Born Award | Demetrios Christodoulides |
| 2022 Edwin H. Land Medal | Shin-Tson Wu |
| 2024 Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award | Ronald Driggers |
SPIE
| 1995 Kingslake Medal and Prize | Glenn Boreman |
| 2004 Bacus Award | Bahaa Saleh |
| 2008 Dennis Gabor Award | Leonid Glebov |
| 2008 G. G. Stokes Award | Shin-Tson Wu |
| 2008 Gold Medal Award | M.J. Soileau |
| 2013 Harold E. Edgerton Award | Martin Richardson |
| 2015 G.G. Stokes Award | Aristide Dogariu |
| 2020 Maria J. Yzuel Educator Award | Kathleen Richardson |
| 2022 Maria Geoppert Mayor Award | Shin-Tson Wu |
IEEE Photonics Society
| 2003 Engineering Achievement | Dennis Deppe |
| 2020 Photonics Society William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award | Peter Delfyett |
Society for Information Display
| 2008 Jan Rajchman Prize | Shin-Tson Wu |
| 2011 Slottow–Owaki Prize | Shin-Tson Wu |
American Physical Society
| 2011 Edward A. Bouchet Award | Peter Delfyett |
| 2020 Artur L. Schawlow Prize | Peter Delfyett |
| 2023 Arthur L. Schawlow Prize | Demetrios Christodoulides |
Laser Institute of America
| Schawlow Award (2022) | Aravinda Kar |
| President Elect (2022) | Aravinda Kar |
| President (2024) | Aravinda Kar |
The American Ceramic Society
| ACerS Frontiers in Glass Technology Award (2017) | Leonid Glebov |
| Outstanding Educator Award (2019) | Kathleen Richardson |
| Arthur F. Greaves-Walker Lifetime Service Award (2020) | Kathleen Richardson |
| Distinguished Life Member (2022) | Kathleen Richardson |
| Darshana and Arun Varshneya Frontiers of Glass Lectures Award (2023) | Kathleen Richardson |
National Science Foundation
| NSF Presidential Early Career Award (PECASE) (1997) | Peter Delfyett |
| NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award (1991) | Dennis Deppe |
| NSF Career Award (2012) | Sasan Fathpour |
| NSF CAREER Award (2015) | Mercedeh Khajavikhan |
| NSF Special Creativity Award (2021) | Alexander Khanikaev |
| NSF CAREER Award (2007) | Pieter Kik |
| NSF CAREER Award (2008) | Stephen Kuebler |
| NSF CAREER Award (1996) | Guifang Li |
| NSF CAREER Award (2019) | Xiaoming Yu |
Office of Naval Research
| ONR Young Investigator Award (1991) | Dennis Deppe |
| ONR Young Investigator Award (1995) | Guifang Li |
| ONR Young Investigator Award (2013) | Sasan Fathpour |
| ONR Young Investigator Award (2016) | Mercedeh Khajavikhan |
| ARO Early Career Award (2024) | Leland Nordin |
| AFOSR Young Investigator Award (2025) | Leland Nordin |
Oak Ridge Associated Universities
| Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award (2009) | Ayman Abouraddy |
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
| Guggenheim Fellow (1984) | Bahaa Saleh |
United States Department of Energy
| DoE Early Career Award (2019) | Luca Argenti |
Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology
| Global Research Outreach Award (2023) | Debashis Chanda |
Academia Sinica
| Academician | Shin-Tson Wu |
CUNY Graduate Center
| Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science; Alumni Achievement Award | Peter Delfyett |
United States Department of Defense
| Newton Award for Transformative Ideas (2020) | Ayman Abouraddy |
Luminary Award
| 2017 | Ayman Abouraddy |
| 2017 | Demetrios Christodoulides |
| 2018 | Mercedeh Khajavikhan |
| 2019 | Shin-Tson Wu |
| 2021 | Peter Delfyett |
| 2021 | Kathleen Richardson |
| 2023 | Aristide Dogariu |
UCF Medal of Societal Impact
| 2024 | Shin-Tson Wu |
Fellows of Professional Societies and Academics
Optica
| Ayman Abouraddy | Ronald Driggers | Kathleen Richardson |
| Félicie Albert* | Ramy El-Ganainy* | Martin Richardson |
| Rodrigo Amezcua | Sasan Fathpour | Bahaa Saleh |
| Michael Bass | Leonid Glebov | Axel Schülzgen |
| Andrea Blanco-Redondo | David Hagan | William Silfvast |
| Alexander Cartwright | Guifang Li | M.J. Soileau |
| Zenghu Chang | Konstantinos Makris* | George Stegeman (in memoriam) |
| Demetrios Christodoulides | Jim Moharam | Eric Van Stryland |
| Peter Delfyett | Mircea Mujat* | Konstantin Vodopyanov |
| Dennis Deppe | James Pearson | Shin-Tson Wu |
| Aristide Dogariu | Franklyn Quinlan* | Boris Zeldovich (in memoriam) |
SPIE
| Glenn Boreman | Guifang Li | Winston V. Schoenfeld |
| Peter Delfyett | Yi-Hsin Lin* | M.J. Soileau |
| Ronald Driggers | James Pearson | Eric Van Stryland |
| Leonid Glebov | Kathleen Richardson | Konstantin Vodopyanov |
| David Hagan | Martin Richardson | Shin-Tson Wu |
| James Harvey | Bahaa Saleh | Axel Schülzgen |
IEEE Photonics Society
| Michael Bass | Martin Richardson | M.J. Soileau |
| Peter Delfyett | Bahaa Saleh | Eric Van Stryland |
| Dennis Deppe | William Silfvast | Shin-Tson Wu |
| Guifang Li |
American Physical Society
| Zenghu Chang | Martin Richardson | |
| Aristide Dogariu | Bahaa Saleh | |
| Demetrios Christodoulides | Eric Van Stryland | |
| Peter Delfyett | Konstantin Vodopyanov |
Laser Institute of America
| Michael Bass | |
| Aravinda Kar |
The American Ceramic Society
| Leonid Glebov | |
| Kathleen Richardson |
Society for Information Display
| Shin-Tson Wu |
American Association for the Advancement of Science
| Michael Bass |
| Martin Richardson |
National Academy of Inventors
| Michael Bass | Aravinda Kar | M.J. Soileau |
| Peter Delfyett | Guifang Li | Shin-Tson Wu |
| Leonid Glebov | Jason Eichenholz |
Florida Inventors Hall of Fame
| Michael Bass | Peter Delfyett |
| M.J. Soileau | |
| Shin-Tson Wu |
European Ceramic Society
| Kathleen Richardson |
Directed Energy Professional Society
| Jessica Pena* |
| Martin Richardson |
Fulbright
| Nicholas Cox* |
Presidents, Directors, & Officers of professional Societies
Optica
| Eric Van Stryland | President (2006) |
| Eric Van Stryland | Board of Directors Member (1998–2001) |
| Michael Bass | Board of Directors Member (1989–1992) |
| Peter Delfyett | Board of Directors Member (2004–2006) |
| Bahaa Saleh | Board of Directors Member (1998–2005) |
| Shin-Tson Wu | Board of Directors Member (2013–2014) |
SPIE
| M.J. Soileau | President (1997) |
| Glenn Boreman | Board of Directors Member (1997–1999) |
| James Harvey | Board of Directors Member (2001–2003) |
| Kathleen Richardson | Board of Directors Member (2012–2015) |
| David Hagan | Board of Directors Member (2023-2025) |
IEEE Photonics Society
| Shin-Tson Wu | Board of Governors (2003–present) |
| Peter Delfyett | Board of Governors (2000–2002) |
| Jim Moharam | Vice-President (1997–1999) |
| Kathleen Richardson | Board of Directors Member (2012–2015) |
Laser Institute of America
| Michael Bass | President (1988) |
| Michael Bass | Board of Directors Member (1985–1989) |
| Aravinda Kar | Board of Directors Member (2005) |
| Bahaa Saleh | Board of Directors Member (2010–2012) |
| Eric Van Stryland | Board of Directors Member (1992–1994) |
| Aravinda Kar | President (2024) |
National Society of Black Physicists
| Peter Delfyett | President (2008) |
The American Ceramic Society
| Kathleen Richardson | Board of Direcotrs Member (2008-2015) |
| Kathleen Richardson | President (2014-2015) |
American Physical Society
| Peter Delfyett | Vice-Chair (2015-Present) |
National Institute of Ceramic Engineers
| Kathleen Richardson | President (2008-2009) |
Other
| Andrea Blanco-Redondo | OPTICA, Director at Large and Board Member (2020-2022) |
| Andrea Blanco-Redondo | OPTICA, OPTICA Ambassador (2018) |
| Andrea Blanco-Redondo | Australian Optical Society, Geoff Opat Early Career Researcher Prize (2016) |
| Andrea Blanco-Redondo | University of Duesto, Ada Byron Award (2014) |
| Andrea Blanco-Redondo | Eurpoean Commission, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow (2013) |
International Awards and Honors
| Michael Bass | Fellow, Russian Academy of Engineering Science (1994) |
| Michael Bass | Fellow, International Academy of Engineering, Russia |
| Michael Bass | Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (2016) |
| Zenghu Chang | Hubert Schardin Gold Medal Medal (1996) |
| Kathleen Richardson | I.D. Varshnei Award, Indian Ceramic Society (2013) |
| Martin Richardson | Hubert Schardin Gold Medal Medal (1976) |
| Martin Richardson | Honorary doctorate, University of Bordeaux, France (2013) |
| Bahaa Saleh | Kuwait Prize (2006) |
| Axel Schülzgen | Habilitation Grant, German Research Foundation (1993 |
| Axel Schülzgen | Carl-Ramsauer-Award of the AEG AG (1992) |
| Axel Schülzgen | Herbert Walther Fellowship, Max Planck Society, Germany (2019) |
| Mordechai Segev | Rothschild Prize in Physics (2024) |
| M.J. Soileau | ICFO’s Distinguished Service Appreciation Medal (2012) |
| M.J. Soileau | Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2016) |
| George Stegeman | Honorary doctorate, NRS University, Canada (2013) |
| Shin-Tson Wu | Honorary Professorship, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan (2018 |
| Boris Zeldovich (in memoriam) | USSR State Prize (1983) |
| Boris Zeldovich (in memoriam) | USSR Academy of Sciences (1987) |
Journal Editors
| Michael Bass | Journal of the Optical Society of America B (1984–1987) |
| Glenn Boreman | Applied Optics (2000–2005) |
| Glenn Boreman | Applied Optics/Optical Technology (1998–2003) |
| Aristide Dogariu | Applied Optics/Optical Technology (2004–2010) |
| Peter Delfyett | IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics (2001-2006) |
| Peter Delfyett | IEEE/LEOS Newsletter (1995–2000) |
| Ronald Driggers | Applied Optics (2015–present) |
| Ronald Driggers | Optical Engineering (2012–2015) |
| David Hagan | Optical Materials Express (2010–present) |
| David Hagan | Chinese Optics Letters (2016) |
| Pieter Kik | Optics Communications (2011–2012) |
| Guifang Li | Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Optics and Photonics (2019) |
| Bahaa Saleh | Journal of the Optical Society of America A (1991–1997) |
| Bahaa Saleh | Advances in Optics & Photonics (2008–2014) |
| Alex Schülzgen | Applied Optics (2008-2014) |
| Alex Schülzgen | Journal Lightwave Technology (2019-2022) |
| Shin-Tson Wu | IEEE/OSA Journal of Display Technology (2004–2008) |
* Indicates an Alumni