2025-05-05

Professor Tsung-Hsien Lin, Chair Professor and Vice President for Research and Development at the Department of Photonics, National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU), has been elected as a 2025 OPTICA Fellow for his outstanding contributions to research, technological innovations, and industrial applications in the field of liquid crystal photonics. Among the 121 newly elected OPTICA Fellows worldwide this year, only three recipients are from Taiwan.

Professor Lin specializes in liquid crystal materials, photonic devices, advanced display technologies, and optical computing. He actively promotes smart window innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as international academic and industry collaborations. His research on liquid photonic crystals has led to breakthroughs in overcoming traditional Cholesteric Liquid Crystals (CLC) alignment limitations. He developed the "Dual-Frequency Field Assembly" technology, achieving super-high period photonic crystals and advancing intense pulsed light applications. Additionally, his "Reverse Electrostriction" technology enables the rapid production of large-area, highly stable blue-phase liquid crystal crystals monocrystalline within minutes, significantly enhancing photonic crystal growth speed. These advancements push the boundaries of optoelectronic devices, sensors, and optical communications while promoting high-efficiency, low-energy-consumption and eco-friendly green photonic technologies. His research has been published in top-tier international journals such as Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, and Optica, expanding the application scope of photonic crystals.

Beyond academia, Professor Lin mentors students in forming innovative startup teams, designing and developing next-generation smart window films. His team has pioneered a multifunctional, freely cuttable, and directly adhesive smart window "film" technology, offering high transparency, privacy protection, and display functionalities. This innovation has earned multiple prestigious awards, including the 15th "National Innovation Award," "MOEA Business Startup Award," "MOST FITI Startup Excellence Award," and the "Lite-On Innovation Gold Award." His team was also selected for the CES Taiwan Tech Arena delegation in 2018, 2019, and 2022, and won the CES Innovation Award in 2019.

NSYSU emphasized that in addition to his remarkable academic achievements, Professor Lin has been instrumental in bridging campus technology with industry, attracting multimillion-dollar investments from global Fortune 100 companies into startups. He has collaborated with the university to establish a "Lab-Startup-University" platform, fostering a win-win ecosystem that drives a virtuous cycle of resources, talent, and technology. This approach maximizes national education and research resources, setting a successful model in technology commercialization. His recognition as an OPTICA Fellow is well deserved.

Founded in 1916, the Optica (formerly the Optical Society of America, OSA) is one of the world's most influential academic organizations in optics and photonics. In addition to publishing academic journals and organizing conferences and exhibitions, Optica also carries out charitable activities. To date, 45 of its members have been awarded Nobel Prizes across Physics, Chemistry, Physiology, and Medicine. Since 1959, the organization has annually selected distinguished scientists as Fellows to honor their significant contributions to the advancement of optics and photonics through research, business, education, engineering, and service to the community.