Margaret Murnane is a new honorary member of Optica.

Daniel Packman — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 21:45:54 +0000

Margaret Murnane is a new honorary member of Optica. Daniel Packman Thu, 06/11/2026 - 15:45

Kirsten Apodaca / ��ñ�� Physics

Margaret Murnane is a new honorary member of Optica — the most distinguished membership bestowed by the international society dedicated to optics and photonics.

A distinguished professor of physics and electrical engineering and a fellow of JILA, Murnane was recognized for her “pioneering advances in ultrafast laser technology and EUV [extreme ultraviolet] science, as well as exceptional service to the optics community through sustained mentorship and leadership,” according to Optica’s press release.

Widely known for advancing ultrafast optical and x-ray science, Murnane pioneered new laser techniques and x-ray sources that allow scientists to track how electrons interact with each other on attosecond timescales, or one billionth of a billionth of a second. With her group and collaborators, she also developed methods to track how electrons, spins, atoms and lattice vibrations can work together to create new quantum material behaviors.

Honorary membership is reserved for leaders who have made “unique, seminal contributions to the field,” and is limited to only two per 1,000 active members. Since 1916, only 63 individuals have been named honorary members.

“We’re so proud of Margaret and pleased that Optica recognizes what we’ve long appreciated about her achievements,” says Tobin Munsat, chair and professor of physics.

Murnane is the third ��ñ��-affiliated scientist to receive the honor following John Hall (2007) and David Wineland (2017).

Prior to joining ��ñ��, Murnane held faculty positions at Washington State University and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She completed her PhD in physics at the University of California at Berkeley.

Murnane is a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellow, and a fellow of many professional societies including Optica, the American Physical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Association for Women in Science, and the National Academy of Inventors. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and has received numerous awards to date including the American Physical Society’s Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics, and Optica’s Frederic Ives Medal/Jarus W. Quinn Prize.

“I am delighted and grateful to be an honorary member of Optica, an international community that brings together optics and photonics experts from academe, industry and national laboratories,” says Murnane. “We light the path forward together.”

Margaret Murnane is a new honorary member of Optica — the most distinguished membership bestowed by the international society dedicated to optics and photonics.

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