Kenichi Iga received his BE in 1963, his ME in 1965, and his Dr. Eng. Degree in 1968 from Tokyo Institute of Technology. In 1968, he joined the P&I Lab at the Tokyo Institute, eventually becoming a full professor in 1984. In 1993, he became the Teiichi Yamazaki Chair Professor. Iga served as Director of Institute Library and Director of the P&I Microsystem Research Center from 2000 until his retirement, when he was named Professor Emeritus. In 2022, he was named Honorary Professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Prof. Iga first proposed a unique semiconductor laser, a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) with a cavity surface normal to the crystal plane in 1977. He is an active proponent of microoptics, utilizing gradient-index microlens arrays, and has been working toward the dream of realizing 2-D arrayed optical devices in combination with surface emitting lasers. He is the author ofseveral books, including Fundamentals of Microoptics, Fundamentals of Laser Optics, Introduction to Optical Fiber Communication, Process Technology for Semiconductor Lasers, and Surface Emitting Lasers.

He is a Fellow of IEEE and Optica, and he is active in both societies. He has received numerous awards, including the Inada Memorial Prize in 1966, the Sakurai Memorial Prize in 1987, the IEEE Premium Award in 1988, the Ichimura Award in 1990, the Toray Award in 1995, the Asahi Award in 1998, the John Tyndall Award in 1998, the Millennium Medal in 2000, the Rank Prize in 2002, the 2021 IEEE Edison Medal, andwas the 2022 Person of Cultural Merit from the Japanese government. In 2001, he received the Purple Ribbon Medal from the Japanese Emperor.

In 2024, he received Optica's Frederic Ives Medal / Jarus W. Quinn Prize, "For pioneering contributions and visionary leadership in the field of semiconductor lasers and optoelectronics, and a dedication to training and educating future generations."