Dennis W. Prather
Dennis W. Prather | |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | United States |
| Education | University of Maryland, College Park |
| Known for | RF-photonic devices and systems; diffractive optics; millimeter-wave imaging |
| Awards | IEEE Fellow (2020) SPIE Fellow Optica Fellow (2005) National Academy of Inventors Fellow (2017) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrical engineering, Photonics, RF systems |
| Workplaces | University of Delaware Phase Sensitive Innovations |
| Thesis | Analysis and synthesis of finite aperiodic diffractive optical elements using rigorous electromagnetic models |
Dennis W. Prather is an American electrical engineer. He is the College of Engineering Alumni Distinguished Professor (also styled Engineering Alumni Professor) in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Delaware and is co-founder and president of Phase Sensitive Innovations.[1][2][3][4]
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Optica, and the National Academy of Inventors.[2][3][5][6]
Education
Prather received the B.S.E.E. (1989), M.S.E.E. (1993), and Ph.D. (1997) degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park.[3] His doctoral dissertation was titled "Analysis and synthesis of finite aperiodic diffractive optical elements using rigorous electromagnetic models."[1]
Career
Prather enlisted in the United States Navy in 1982 and later served in the Naval Reserve, retiring as a Captain (O-6).[1][6]
He worked as a senior research engineer at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory before joining the University of Delaware faculty in 1997.[1][3] In 2006 he was named the first College of Engineering Alumni Professor (later described as Alumni Distinguished Professor).[7][1][2]
In 2007 he co-founded Phase Sensitive Innovations, where he serves as president. The company develops RF-photonic devices and systems.[4][2]
Research
Prather's research concerns RF-photonic devices and their integration into systems for imaging, communications, and radar. Areas of work include ultra-high-bandwidth modulators, silicon photonic RF sources, photonic crystal devices, metamaterial antennas, and integrated RF-photonic phased arrays.[2][3][6]
His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, DARPA, the Office of Naval Research, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and other agencies. Secondary sources have reported Department of Defense funding for millimeter-wave imaging technology.[2][8][9]
Secondary sources have reported that he has authored or co-authored over 600 scientific papers and holds over 40 patents (exact counts vary across sources).[3][2]
Honors and awards
- Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2020, “for contributions to diffractive optical systems”.[2][3]
- Fellow of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).[3]
- Fellow of Optica (formerly the Optical Society of America), 2005, “for contributions to the development of theoretical electromagnetic models as well as the design and experimental validation of micro- and nano-photonic optical elements and devices”.[5]
- Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, 2017.[6]
- National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 1999.[3]
- Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, 1999.[3]
- William J. Kastner Naval Engineering Excellence Award, 2000.[3]
- University of Delaware Outstanding Doctoral Graduate Advising and Mentoring Award, 2018.[10]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Dennis Prather". University of Delaware Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Engineering professors honored". UDaily. University of Delaware. January 17, 2020. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Alumnus Dennis Prather named IEEE Fellow". Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. University of Maryland. January 14, 2020. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- 1 2 "Leadership". Phase Sensitive Innovations. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- 1 2 "2005 Fellows". Optica. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- 1 2 3 4 "Engineering's Prather Named NAI Fellow". UDaily. University of Delaware. December 12, 2017. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ "UD's Dennis Prather is First College of Engineering Named Professor". Photonics Spectra. December 2006. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ "A device that illuminates the invisible". UDaily. University of Delaware. December 5, 2018. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ "UD professor's technology could be used for national security". Delaware Public Media. December 28, 2018. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ "International Scholar, Ideal Role Model". Electrical & Computer Engineering. University of Delaware. May 2018. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
External links
- Dennis Prather faculty page, University of Delaware
- Dennis W. Prather, Google Scholar