Pegasus Professor Accepted Into National Academy of Engineering

More than 30 years in the lab advancing our understanding of lasers recently earned Pegasus Professor Peter Delfyett, Ph.D., one of the highest recognitions in his industry: membership in the National Academy of Engineering.

While there are other NAE members on UCF’s faculty, this is the first membership earned from work completed at the university — a distinction Delfyett is proud to claim.

“This is the top of the mountain in some sense,” said Delfyett, who teaches in CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics. “UCF has given me so many opportunities, so I’m glad to represent them with this honor.”

Delfyett joins 105 others as the newest members of the NAE, bringing total U.S. membership to just 2,355. In a statement, NAE said membership honors those who have made “outstanding contributions to ‘engineering research, practice, or education…’”

Delfyett began his career at Bell Communication Research after earning his Ph.D. from The Graduate School & University Center of the City University of New York in 1988. His honors since joining UCF faculty in 1993 include more 800 articles in refereed journals; 44 U.S. patents; and media appearances on C-SPAN and PBS. His company, Raydiance, Inc., develops high power, ultrafast laser systems based on his research.

His official induction as a member is in October, 2021.