13 Facts About Eric Mazur

Eric Mazur was born on November 14,1954 and is a Dutch-born American physicist and educator at Harvard University, and an entrepreneur in technology start-ups for the educational and technology markets.

Eric Mazur served as the President of Optica in 2017.

Eric Mazur passed his "doctoraal examen" in 1977 and continued his graduate studies at the same institution.

Eric Mazur currently holds a chair as Balkanski Professor of Physics and Applied Physics jointly in the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and in the Physics Department.

Eric Mazur was Dean of Applied Physics from 2010 to 2021 and Academic Dean for Applied Science and Engineering from 2021 to 2024.

Eric Mazur served as President of Optica in 2017 and serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Optica Foundation since 2021.

In parallel to the work on semiconductors, Eric Mazur began studying the interaction of intense femtosecond pulses with transparent materials.

In 1998 a serendipitous discovery in Eric Mazur's laboratory led to the development of a new method to form a silicon surface modification, called "black silicon" because of its very low reflectivity.

Eric Mazur's research continues to focus on optics and photonics and the fabrication of novel nonlinear optical devices.

In collaboration with a group from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, Eric Mazur's group was the first to develop a technique for pulling subwavelength diameter silica optical fibers.

In 1991, Eric Mazur began designing an instructional strategy for teaching called peer instruction.

Eric Mazur has founded or co-founded three technology start-ups: SiOnyx, which makes infrared sensors, and Learning Catalytics, which in April 2013 he sold to the Pearson educational corporation.

Eric Mazur has been widely recognized for his scientific work and leadership.