Prof. Donna Strickland

2018 Nobel Laureate for Physics at the University of Waterloo in Ontario/Canada

Prof. Strickland’s work has enabled doctors to perform corrective laser eye surgeries. It also offers the potential to cure the loss of eye vision that affects many people with age.

Biography:

Prof. Donna Theo Strickland is a Canadian optical physicist and a Professor at the University of Waterloo who was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics for creating ultra-short high-intensity laser pulses which led to the development of the field of high-intensity ultra-short pulses of light beams. Because the ultra-brief and ultra-sharp light beams are capable of making extreme precise cuts, the technique is used in laser industrial machining, laser surgery, medical imaging, fundamental science studies, the machining of small glass parts in cell phones and other applications. It has enabled doctors to perform millions of corrective laser eye surgeries, and Professor Strickland is now working on the role of high-power lasers in the microcrystalline lens of the human eye to cure presbyopia, the loss of up-close eye vision that affects many people with age. Having produced the most powerful short-pulse laser in the world, Professor Strickland develops high-intensity laser systems for nonlinear optics investigations which are essential to most high-powered laser facilities.

Topic of keynote speech:

• Why trust in science is important

Schedule:

Monday, January 12, 2026:

14:00 Public keynote speech and dialogue at the National Taiwan University in Taipei

Further information and free seat reservation via phone +886-2-3366-4684 or email
ycleou@ntu.edu.tw