Chandra Kumar Naranbhai Patel

C. Kumar N. Patel is a Distinguished Professor of Physics with a joint appointment in Electrical Engineering at UCLA. He served as UCLA's vice chancellor for research through 1999. His research interests focus on experimental condensed matter, but he is still involved in the development of new laser systems. Patel developed the carbon dioxide laser in 1963; it is now widely used in industry for cutting and welding, as a laser scalpel in surgery, and in laser skin resurfacing. He received the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Medal of Honor in 1989 and the National Medal of Science in 1996. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Sciences. Patel has received numerous awards, including The Optical Society of America's Adolph Lomb Medal (1966); Coblentz Prize (American Chemical Society, 1974); Association of Indians in America's Honor Award (1975); IEEE Lamme Medal (1976); National Academy of Engineering's Zworykin Award (1976); OSA Townes Medal (1982); New Jersey Governor's Thomas Alva Edison Science Award (1987); Hon. D.Sc, New Jersey Institute of Technology (1988); George E. Pake Prize of the American Physical Society (1988); OSA Frederic Ives Medal (1989). Patel currently holds 36 U.S. patents relating to lasers and laser applications.