BOSTON, Apr. 27, 2022 -- Flexcompute congratulates Professor Shanhui Fan, co-founder and world leader in photonics research, on receiving the prestigious R. W. Wood Prize from Optica. Awarded for contributions that open new eras of research or significantly expand established fields, the R. W. Wood Prize acknowledges Professor Fan’s groundbreaking work in nanophotonics and radiative cooling—fields that merge cutting-edge optics with real-world impact.
A Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, Professor Fan has authored over 600 journal articles and holds more than 70 patents. His research in nanophotonics has explored how light interacts with structures on the nanoscale, leading to a wide range of applications from energy to aerospace.
One such innovation is a radiative cooling mirror designed to reflect sunlight while emitting infrared radiation, enabling passive cooling without electricity. “It’s another example where computation was extremely important — we simulated the entire thing [on a computer], we knew it was going to work before we fabricated the structure,” said Professor Fan.
This mirrors the core mission of Flexcompute: to accelerate the design and testing of advanced technologies through high-speed simulation. Professor Fan’s group at Stanford uses Flexcompute’s Tidy3D platform to model photonic structures with unprecedented speed and accuracy.
“I should emphasize this part: every one of these structures is designed on a computer first,” Professor Fan noted.
Flexcompute’s technology enables faster design cycles and lowers the cost of innovation, allowing teams to virtually test and refine ideas before fabrication. It’s the same principle that guided the development of the radiative cooling device: “before we showed up on the roof we knew that thing was going to work — and of course, it worked.”
We are proud of Professor Fan’s recognition and honored to have his leadership at the core of our company. His continued work is helping to shape the future of photonics, computation, and innovation.
