Andrea Alù#
| Membership Number: | 7438 |
| Membership type: | FOREIGN |
| Section: | ENGINEERING |
| Affiliated section(s): | PHYSICS |
| Elected: | 2026 |
| Main Country of Residence: | UNITED STATES |
| Homepage(s): | http://alulab.org/ |
| ORCID: | 0000-0002-4297-5274 |
| Linkedin: | https://linkedin.com/in/andrea-alu |
| Publication Link: | http://alulab.org/journal%20papers.htm |
Present and Previous Positions
- 2022 - present Distinguished Professor, City University of New York (CUNY), New York, NY
- 2018 - present Founding Director, Photonics Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, New York, NY
- 2018 - present Einstein Professor, Physics Program, CUNY Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY
- 2018 - present Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, City College of New York, New York, NY
- 2025 Visiting Professor, Sapienza University, Roma, Italy
- 2018 - 2025 Senior Research Scientist, Adjunct Professor, ECE Department, UT Austin, Austin, TX
- 2016 - 2018:Professor, Temple Foundation Endowed Professor #3, ECE Department, UT Austin, Austin, TX
- 2015 Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences (KNAW) Visiting Professor, AMOLF Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 2013 - 2015 Associate Professor, D.D. Lybarger Endowed Faculty Fellow, ECE Department, UT Austin, Austin, TX
- 2009 - 2013 Assistant Professor, ECE Department, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Fields of Scholarship
- Electromagnetics
- Photonics
- Metasurfaces
- Radio-waves
- Wave physics
- Nano-optics
- Metamaterials
- Acoustics
Honours and Awards
- 2026 MRS Mid-Career Researcher Award, Materials Research Society, 'For seminal contributions to the field of metamaterials and metasurfaces and their applications’
- ERC Synergy ‘WePhICom: Waves, Physics, Information, and Computation’ (2025), European Research Council
- 2025 Italian Academy of Engineering and Technology, Ordinary Member
- 2025 Simons Society of Fellows, Senior Fellow, Simons Foundation
- Highly Cited Researcher (every year since 2017), Clarivate Analytics Web of Science
- 2024 Max Born Award, Optica, ‘For pioneering contributions to linear, nonlinear and nonreciprocal photonic metamaterials’
- 2024 Mozi Award, SPIE, ‘For seminal contributions to the field of optical metamaterials as well as their applications for wavefront manipulation and enhancement of nonreciprocal and nonlinear phenomena’
- 2024 William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award, IEEE Photonics Society, ‘For seminal contributions to the field of photonic metamaterials and their applications’
- 2023 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Distinguished Achievement Award, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
- 2021 Brillouin Medal, International Phononics Society
- 2021 Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists (Laureate), Blavatnik Foundation and New York Academy of Sciences
- AAAFM Heeger Award (2021), American Association for Advances in Functional Materials, ‘For his seminal contributions to the realization of engineered functional materials and metamaterials, and their applications in electromagnetics, photonics and acoustics’
- 2021 Dan Maydan Prize in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, ‘For his seminal contributions to nano-optics, nano-photonics, plasmonics and phononics, including the discovery of giant non-reciprocity, non-linear phenomena, and enhanced light-matter interactions using nanostructured materials, metasurfaces and metamaterials’
- 2021 MRS Fellowship, Materials Research Society, ‘For seminal contributions to the realization of engineered materials and metamaterials, and their several applications in electromagnetics, photonics and acoustics’
- 2020 IEEE Kiyo Tomiyasu Award, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, ‘For contributions to novel electromagnetic materials and their application’
- 2019 National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellowship, ‘For having demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society’
- 2019 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellowship, ‘For distinguished contributions to the field of electromagnetics and photonics, particularly for the modeling and applications of artificial materials and metamaterials’
- 2019 Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (2019), U.S. Department of Defense
- 2016 ICO Prize in Optics, International Commission for Optics, ‘For his groundbreaking work on metatronics for ultrafast electronics and the localization of optical radiation in structured materials’
- 2016 SPIE Fellowship, ‘For achievements in optical metamaterials and plasmonics’
- 2016 Kavli Foundation Early Career Lectureship in Materials Science, Materials Research Society
- 2016 - 2026 Simons Foundation Investigator in Physics
- 2016 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Engineering, The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas, ‘For a number of groundbreaking, highly-cited and recognized contributions to science and engineering. These contributions include seminal work on cloaking and invisibility, pioneering advances in optical nanocircuits and nanoantennas, magnetic-free non-reciprocal devices for sound, radio-waves and light, and giant nonlinear response in optical metamaterials.’
- 2015 National Science Foundation (NSF) Alan T. Waterman Award, ‘For his work in metamaterial theory and design, including insightful contributions to plasmonic cloaking; effective light manipulation at the nano scale; innovative ideas in breaking time reversal symmetry leading to enhanced non-reciprocity from acoustics to microwaves and optics; and for unique contributions to metamaterials’
- 2015 American Physical Society (APS) Fellowship, ‘For seminal contributions to electromagnetic theory and applications, nano optics, plasmonics, and metamaterials’
- 2014 IEEE Fellowship, ‘For contributions to the theory and applications of electromagnetic metamaterials and plasmonic phenomena’
- 2014 Franco Strazzabosco Award for Young Engineers and Medal of Representation of the President of the Republic of Italy, ‘For innovative, impactful research that honors Italy’
- 2013 Optical Society of America (OSA) Fellowship, ‘For outstanding contributions to the fields of photonic metamaterials, plasmonic phenomena and devices, and plasmonic cloaking’
- 2013 OSA Adolph Lomb Medal, ‘For outstanding contributions to the fields of optical metamaterials and plasmonic optics, and for development of the concept of plasmonic cloaking’
- 2012 The International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) Early Career Achievement Award, ‘For pioneering contributions to optical metamaterials and plasmonic phenomena’
- 2011 International Union of Radio Science (URSI) Issac Koga Gold Medal, ‘For contributions to the theory and application of electromagnetic metamaterials, in particular the conception of plasmonic-based cloaking, optical nanocircuits, and anomalous propagation and radiation in metamaterials’
