SPIE Early Career Achievement Award — Academic

The SPIE Early Career Achievement Award is presented in recognition of significant and innovative technical contributions in the engineering or scientific fields of relevance to SPIE. This award recognizes excellence in academia. The contribution(s) must have been made within the first 5 years of a faculty appointment after completing training. Up to two awards may be made each year. Honorarium $2,000.

How to Nominate

Current recipients


Deep Jariwala

Deep Jariwala, 2025 recipient

For pioneering contributions towards understanding strong light-matter interactions in quantum-confined excitonic and magnetic semiconductors, and for the development of excitonic metamaterials.
Learn more about Deep Jariwala

Jenna Mueller

Jenna Mueller, 2025 recipient

For innovative strategies to decrease cancer mortality in marginalized communities, including work on the Pocket colposcope, an FDA-approved cervical-cancer screening device, and developing a low-cost laparoscope.
Learn more about Jenna Mueller

Past recipients


2023
Carmelo Rosales-Guzmán




2019
Sarah Bohndiek

2019
JueJun Hu

2018
Laura Waller

2017
Maiken Mikkelsen

2016
Jie Yao

2015
Miriam Vitiello

2014
Jeremy Munday

2011
Aydogan Ozcan

2010
Alberto Salleo

2008
Sanjay Krishna