Professor Graham T Reed wins 2026 John Tyndall Award
Optica, Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, and the IEEE Photonics Society have named Professor Graham T Reed, University of Southampton, UK the 2026 John Tyndall Award recipient. Reed is recognised for ground-breaking contributions to silicon photonics, notably through pioneering research, advocacy, and the establishment of a widely accessible foundry platform.
“Graham Reed has been a leader in the field of silicon photonics since its inception, literally writing the book on the subject in 2024,” said James Kafka, Optica 2025 President. “His innovations have benefited everything from communications and healthcare to environmental monitoring, advanced computing, and security.”
Perry Shum, IEEE Photonics Society President added, "Professor Reed is a trusted advisor and a dedicated volunteer and mentor. His work has shaped the international silicon photonics community, particularly through his efforts to bridge academia and industry – driving technology forward.”
The award, one of the top honors in the fibre optics community, is named for John Tyndall, a 19th-century scientist who was the first to demonstrate the phenomenon of total internal reflection. It recognises an individual who has made pioneering, highly significant, or continuing technical or leadership contributions to fibre optic technology.
Corning Incorporated, one of the world’s leading innovators in glass, ceramic, and materials science, sponsors the award as part of its commitment to fibre optic technology innovation. The award consists of a specially commissioned glass sculpture, a scroll, and an honorarium. Optica, IEEE Photonics Society, and Corning will jointly present the award at this year’s Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition, the world's premier event for optical communications and networking professionals. The conference will take place from 15 – 19 March in Los Angeles, where the ORC will also be exhibiting.
Reed is one of the earliest pioneers in the field of silicon photonics. He established the Silicon Photonics Research Group at the University of Surrey, which has remained at the forefront of the field for over 35 years. He is the founder of the UK Silicon Photonics Foundry, CORNERSTONE, is also leading several European research programs.
Reed’s group produced the first published design of an optical modulator with a bandwidth exceeding 1 GHz, proposed the pre-emphasis method of driving silicon modulators, and published the first design of a depletion mode optical modulator, which is now the industry standard device. In 2011 the team was responsible for the first all-silicon optical modulator operating at 40Gb/s with a high extinction ratio (10dB), as well as a second modulator design (also operating at 40Gb/s) that operates close to polarization independence. The team also reported the first device operating at 50Gb/s. Recently, they have been pioneering Mid Infra-Red Silicon Photonics, mid-index photonics platforms, programmable photonics, and computing applications of silicon photonics, and, in 2020, reported an integrated silicon modulator-driver combination operating at 100Gbps OOK without digital signal processing (DSP). In 2024, the team reported a 308Gb/s MZI based modulator integrated with an electronic driver, and, in 2020, reported a similar 200Gbd device, suggesting a 400Gb/s all-silicon solution without the need for energy hungry DSP may be within reach.
He has published almost 700 journal and conference papers in the field of silicon photonics and is a frequent invited and contributing author at major conferences around the world, including 192 invited/keynote/plenary talks. Reed is the lead author of the first silicon photonics textbook, Silicon Photonics: An Introduction, published in 2004.
A Fellow of Optica, American Physical Society, European Optical Society, Royal Academy of Engineering, Royal Society and SPIE, he has received several awards, including the Institution of Engineering and Technology Crompton Medal for Achievement in Energy, Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award, SPIE Gold Medal, and the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Sir Frank Whittle Medal.