Dr. Yuen-Ron Shen stands as a preeminent figure in modern physics, renowned for his transformative contributions to optical science and surface characterization techniques. He currently holds the distinguished position of Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has been a faculty member since 1964, and also serves as a Principal Investigator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory since 1967. Born in Shanghai on March 25, 1935, Shen completed his undergraduate education at National Taiwan University, earning his BS in 1956 before coming to the United States for advanced studies. He obtained his MS from Stanford University in 1959 and completed his PhD in Applied Physics at Harvard University in 1963 under the supervision of Nobel Laureate Nicolaas Bloembergen, establishing the foundation for his remarkable career in optical physics.
Dr. Shen pioneered the field of nonlinear optical spectroscopy for surface and interface studies, developing groundbreaking techniques including second-harmonic generation and sum frequency generation spectroscopy that have revolutionized how scientists examine material boundaries at the molecular level. His seminal 1989 Nature article established sum frequency generation as a powerful tool for interfacial analysis, creating what has become a standard methodology across multiple scientific disciplines from chemistry to materials science. Early in his career, Shen made fundamental contributions to understanding self-focusing and filament propagation of laser beams, work that enabled the development of ultrafast supercontinuum light sources now widely used in scientific research. His collaborations with Yuan T. Lee on multiphoton dissociation of molecular clusters and with Gabor Somorjai on catalyst surface studies demonstrated the versatility of his optical approaches to solving complex problems in molecular dynamics and surface chemistry.
As a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Academia Sinica, Dr. Shen has profoundly shaped the trajectory of modern optical physics through both his research and mentorship of generations of scientists. His authoritative text The Principles of Nonlinear Optics remains a foundational reference for researchers worldwide, while his numerous accolades including the C.H. Townes Award, A.L. Schawlow Prize, and Max Planck Research Prize attest to his field-defining contributions. Currently, his research group continues to innovate at the intersection of light-matter interactions, developing optical sum-frequency generation techniques for probing molecular chirality and advancing the characterization of nanostructures and plasmonic materials. Dr. Shen's enduring legacy lies in creating experimental methodologies that transcend disciplinary boundaries, providing researchers across physics, chemistry, and materials science with essential tools to explore the molecular architecture of interfaces with unprecedented precision.
