GAINESVILLE, FL, February 20, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Volker J. Sorger, PhD, Rhines Endowed Professor of Semiconductor Photonics with the University of Florida, was selected by Marquis Who's Who for a prominent feature in the Orlando, Florida, regional edition of Forbes.

Supported by more than 20 years of professional excellence, Dr. Volker J. Sorger is well-regarded for his expertise in semiconductor chips, technology inventions and stewardship in creating global techno-economic partnerships. As the Rhines Endowed Professor of Semiconductor Photonics at the University of Florida, he oversees groundbreaking R&D, technology lab-to-fab transitions and modernized education toward securing key innovations and creating jobs.

Being an evangelist of the U.S. CHIPS & Science Act, Dr. Sorger creates and builds public-private partnerships by uniting technical experts, stakeholders and policymakers to strengthen a global semiconductor ecosystem of the "free world." As such, he crafts global supply-chain partnerships to build bridges between the U.S. and its allies, including Western Europe, Germany, Japan and South Korea, toward accelerating R&D, innovation and manufacturing in semiconductors and photonics. In earlier science-policy activities, he assumed roles in the National Photonic Initiative, adding to policies of the White House OSTP.

Recognizing that semiconductor chips are critical to modern life and economic prosperity, Dr. Sorger shares the vision that the 21st century will see optical chips becoming a key technology to advance capabilities. As an innovator and engineer, Dr. Sorger holds more than 20 licensed patents and has been published more than 500 times in his field. Garnering worldwide recognition for his work, Dr. Sorger aims to make Florida the epicenter of "specialty electronics," including photonics.

Dr. Sorger received his tenure to become a full professor at The George Washington University and served on the board of SPIE and the Optical Society, the latter as a division chair for 'Optoelectronics & Photonics,' and was nominated Community Champion twice by SPIE. Over the course of his career, he founded several companies ranging from photonic hardware to SAAS ventures covering AI, cybersecurity and energy sectors. Before delving into academia, Dr. Sorger was with Intel's Novel Device group, exploring innovations in transistor physics.

Given Dr. Sorger's passion for aviation, and being a Lancair owner and an IFR-rated commercial pilot, he was a finalist in the 2008-2009 astronaut selection of the European Space Agency.

Dr. Sorger is a fellow of several societies, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Optical Society (Optica/OSA), the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), the International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM), and the German National Academic Foundation.

EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS
Dr. Sorger aspired to enter the fields of engineering and technology to make a difference in the world. He completed a master's degree in physics, with a focus on flash memory devices, at the University of Texas at Austin in 2005. Thereafter, he was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in opto-electronics, energy efficiency and materials research by the University of California Berkeley in 2011, along with a Management of Technology certificate from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.

AWARD HIGHLIGHTS
Earning a myriad of leading accolades in his field, Dr. Sorger received several honors, amongst which are the Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award in 2023 and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2019, the Young Investigator Award from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and the annual best publication award from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 2010.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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