Allen Taflove
Northwestern University
For pioneering work on finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) computational solutions of Maxwell's equations of electrodynamics and devoted service to Sigma Xi
Quote
"Almost 50 years ago, I became a member of Sigma Xi as a PhD student in electrical engineering at Northwestern University. During my subsequent career as a Northwestern professor, I've always endeavored to emulate Sigma Xi's commitment to advancing scientific research, supporting students, and relating science to the public."
Biography
Allen Taflove has been a member of Sigma Xi since the mid-1970s, and has led the Northwestern University Chapter for the past decade, first as treasurer and currently as president.
He received the BS, MS, and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from Northwestern University in 1971, 1972, and 1975, respectively. Since 1988, he has been a full professor in Northwestern’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Over the past 48 years, he has pioneered theoretical approaches, algorithms, and applications of finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) computational solutions of the fundamental Maxwell’s equations of classical electrodynamics. FDTD has emerged as a primary means to solve the largest and most complex science and engineering problems involving electromagnetic wave phenomena, devices, and systems from ultralow frequencies to visible light.
Taflove’s major publication, Computational Electrodynamics:The Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method, has been ranked the 7th most-cited book in physics, currently with more 20,000 Google Scholar citations. He is a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the recipient of the 2014 IEEE Electromagnetics Award, and a Fellow of The Optical Society (OSA).
Currently, he is conducting petaflops-scale computational microscopy applications of FDTD in support of research at Northwestern led by biomedical engineering professor Vadim Backman, dealing with the detection and potential treatment of early-stage human cancers.