John E. Bowers

College of Science and Engineering, February 2, 2017

John E. Bowers received a bachelor of science degree in physics in 1976 from the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He is the Fred Kavli Professor of Nanotechnology and director of the Institute for Energy Efficiency at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is described as a pioneer and an expert in the fields of electronic devices, device physics, and materials. Bowers is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA), and Fellow of the American Physical Society. He is the author or co-author of more than 1,375 journal articles as well as the inventor of more than 60 patents. In addition, he is the founder and board chair of Unite to Light, a non-profit that provides low cost, solar powered lighting to people in more than 60 countries. Bowers is the recipient of numerous awards including the OSA Holonyak Prize, the IEEE LEOS William Streifer Award, and the South Coast Business and Technology Entrepreneur of the Year Award, to name a few. Bowers’ father, Charles Edward Bowers, was a professor in civil engineering at the University of Minnesota for 50 years. Bowers has endowed two College of Science and Engineering teaching awards, one named for his father and one named for himself.