Hänsch Prize in Quantum Optics 2026 Winner: Aaron Young

Today the Optica Foundation has announced the 2026 winner of the Theodor W. Hänsch Prize in Quantum Optics: Aaron Young from Harvard University, USA, becomes the fourth winner of the prestigious prize, aimed at early-career professionals. Young is recognized for his research on ultrafast and high-resolution spatial light modulation for cold atoms and will receive USD 20,000 to support his work.

Along with our partners, Hamamatsu Photonics and Thorlabs, we are proud to sponsor this prize, and to support Young’s career at this crucial stage. Young is a research associate at Harvard, where he joined after his PhD at JILA. Menlo Systems Co-founder and Managing Director, Dr. Michael Mei, commented “Young’s efforts to solve practical and real-world problems using quantum science and technologies embodies the spirit of the Hänsch Prize completely. We are proud to continue to support the Prize and are excited to see where Young’s research takes him in the future. We are also thrilled that the 2026 Prize goes to a researcher from the group of Markus Greiner at Harvard, who himself did his PhD in the group of Theodor Hänsch.”

The prize was established  in 2023 to honor Menlo Systems Co-founder Prof. Theodor Hänsch for his extraordinary contributions to the field of quantum optics.

Read more on the Optica Website:

Optica Foundation Names Recipients for 2026 Prizes & Fellowships | Optica

2026 Theodor W. Hänsch Prize in Quantum Optics Winner | Optica