Steven P. DenBaars recognized as OPTICA's Nick Holonyak Jr. Award, 2026
19 February 2026
Optica Names 22 Recipients for 2026 Awards and Medals
WASHINGTON — Optica, Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, is pleased to announce the recipients of several of its 2026 awards and medals. These awards highlight outstanding technical, research, educational, business, leadership and service accomplishments.
“The 2026 Optica award and medal recipients are celebrated for their outstanding contributions. We thank and congratulate them for advancing our field, mentoring the next generation, and serving our global community,” said Gisele Bennett, Optica's 2026 President. “In addition, I’d like to thank the dedicated selection committee volunteers, nominators, and references who make this program possible.”
The 2026 recipients included:
Nick Holonyak Jr. Award
Steven DenBaars, Materials & ECE Departments, University of California Santa Barbara, USA
Citation: For pioneering contributions to high-efficiency GaN LEDs and laser diodes
Optica Names Steven DenBaars the 2026 Nick Holonyak Jr Award Recipient
Optica is pleased to announce that Steven DenBaars, Materials & ECE Departments, University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), USA, has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Nick Holonyak Jr Award. DenBaars is honored for pioneering contributions to high-efficiency GaN LEDs and laser diodes.
DenBaars is a Distinguished Professor of Materials and Electrical & Computer Engineering at UCSB, where he serves as Director of the Institute for Energy Efficiency and Co-Director of the Solid State Lighting and Energy Electronics Center (SSLEEC). He received his BS in materials and metallurgical engineering from the University of Arizona, graduating as Valedictorian of the College of Engineering, and earned his MS and PhD in engineering from the University of Southern California. He began his career at Hewlett-Packard’s Optoelectronics Division, developing high-brightness LED technologies, before joining the UCSB faculty. He has played a pivotal role in advancing GaN-based optoelectronics and strengthening academic–industry collaboration that has helped shape modern semiconductor innovation.
He is a pioneer in compound semiconductor optoelectronic materials and devices whose research has fundamentally influenced modern photonic technologies. His work has addressed key challenges in crystal growth, defect reduction, and device architecture, leading to major improvements in the efficiency, brightness, and reliability of light-emitting diodes and laser diodes. These advances underpin today’s solid-state lighting, high-resolution LED and laser displays, ultraviolet light sources, and emerging optical communication systems.
DenBaars played a central role in establishing gallium nitride (GaN) as a viable and scalable industrial technology, delivering substantial economic and environmental benefits. His contributions enabled the widespread adoption of high-efficiency LED lighting across general illumination, automotive lighting, and display applications, accelerating the transition from energy-intensive legacy lighting to sustainable solid-state solutions while advancing fundamental understanding of GaN materials and device physics.
Together with Shuji Nakamura, Umesh Mishra, and James Speck, DenBaars co-founded SSLEEC at UCSB, now the world’s leading academic center for solid-state lighting and III-nitride research. His pioneering work on micro-LEDs and GaN lasers has further enabled breakthroughs in next-generation displays, optical data storage, projection systems, and laser-based lighting.
He is a Fellow of Optica, IEEE, and the National Academy of Inventors. His additional awards include the Aron Kressel Award, Japanese Science of Applied Physics (JSAP) Outstanding Paper Award, and the Viterbi Award for USC Distinguished Alumni.
Established in 1997, the Holonyak Jr. Award recognizes significant contributions to optics based on semiconductor-based optical devices and materials, including basic science and technological applications. It honors Nick Holonyak Jr.’s distinguished contributions to the field of optics through the development of semiconductor-based light-emitting diodes and semiconductor lasers. The award is endowed by SDL Ventures, LLC, and Donald and Carol Scifres.
About Optica
Optica, Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, is the society dedicated to promoting the generation, application, archiving and dissemination of knowledge in the field. Founded in 1916, it is the leading organization for scientists, engineers, business professionals, students and others interested in the science of light. Optica's renowned publications, meetings, online resources and in-person activities fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate scientific, technical and educational achievement.