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04 June 2019
Aram V. Papoyan Named 2019 Advocate of Optics by OSA Board of Directors
4 June 2019
Aram V. Papoyan Named 2019 Advocate of Optics by OSA Board of Directors
Honoree led sustained effort to integrate Armenia’s Institute for Physical Research with the European Research Area
WASHINGTON--The Optical Society (OSA) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Prof. Aram V. Papoyan, director of the Institute for Physical Research (IPR), Armenia, has been named the 2019 OSA Advocate of Optics. The award recognizes his leadership and outstanding efforts to integrate IPR into the European Research Area (ERA).
Caption: Aram V. Papoyan
Credit: Courtesy of Aram Papoyan
The OSA Advocate of Optics recognition is presented each year to a public official who demonstrates leadership in support of the advancement of the science of light. Papoyan will be presented with the award at a ceremony during Laser World of Photonics to be held 24-27 June 2019 in Munich, Germany.
“Aram Papoyan’s efforts to integrate the Institute for Physical Research with European Research area support stands out as the kind of sustained commitment toward advancing light science the Advocate of Optics award seeks to recognize,” said 2019 OSA President Ursula Gibson. “His work will enable important collaborations in areas of optics and photonics research via programs created by the European Union and European Commission.”
The ERA is a system of scientific research programs which connects scientific resources across the European Union by focusing on multinational cooperation in medical, environmental, industrial and socioeconomic research. Armenia’s integration with ERA--through IPR and under Papoyan’s leadership-- is the product of several years of development of a framework for cooperation between Armenia and European research and innovation organizations.
IPR is a public research organization working in the fields of laser physics, materials science and related areas. Papoyan has directed IPR since 2006. His research focuses on laser physics, atomic physics and quantum and non-linear optics.
The ERA/IPR integration provides collaboration mechanisms in quantum information science, atomic and matter wave physics and scintillating materials. Armenian researchers and young professionals now have access to ERA funding to support and foster research in these areas.
From 2011 to 2014 Papoyan coordinated the European FP7 Project to integrate the Institute for Physical Research of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia into ERA. Prior to that, he was a co-founder and Armenian coordinator of the first French-Armenian International Associated Laboratory to study the interaction of radiation with matter, a project supported by CNRS - France and SCS – Armenia. He has been a co-organizer of many international conferences, symposia and summer schools held in Armenia, most aimed at involving students and young scientists in collaborative, fundamental and applied research in optics and photonics.
Papoyan is president of the Armenian Territorial Committee for Optics affiliated with the International Commission for Optics (ICO). In 2015 he was awarded ICO’s Galileo Galilei medal.
About The Optical Society
Founded in 1916, The Optical Society (OSA) is the leading professional organization for scientists, engineers, students and entrepreneurs who fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate achievements in the science of light. Through world-renowned publications, meetings and membership initiatives, OSA provides quality research, inspired interactions and dedicated resources for its extensive global network of optics and photonics experts. For more information, visit osa.org.
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