
Fred Kish Honored with 2025 IEEE Nick Holonyak Jr. Medal
Fred Kish, director of the NC State Nanofabrication Facility, has received the 2025 IEEE Nick Holonyak Jr. Medal. He was recognized for his groundbreaking work in semiconductor optoelectronics, including photonic integrated circuits and high-efficiency LEDs, which have advanced telecommunications and energy efficiency.
January 22, 2025 Tolar Ray
Fred Kish, director of the NC State Nanofabrication Facility, Co-Director of the CLAWS Hub, M.C. Dean Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been named the recipient of the 2025 IEEE Nick Holonyak Jr. Medal for Semiconductor Optoelectronic Technologies. This prestigious award recognizes Kish’s pioneering contributions to the development and commercialization of optoelectronic devices, photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and LEDs for solid-state lighting.
The IEEE Nick Holonyak Jr. Medal honors individuals or teams whose groundbreaking work advances semiconductor optoelectronic devices and systems, with a focus on impactful contributions to society and technology. Kish’s achievements, which include innovations in PICs and high-efficiency LEDs, exemplify these values by enabling advancements in telecommunications, energy efficiency and sustainability
“A large amount of satisfaction in my career has come from seeing the impact of the hard work of our teams; however, it is very special to also be recognized by the IEEE with a major award named after my mentor, and the person who has had such a profound impact on the optoelectronics field.”
Kish’s work on PICs has revolutionized telecommunications by integrating a full optical system for telecommunications transmissions onto a single chip. At the same time, his development of high-efficiency LEDs has significantly contributed to global energy savings. These technologies exemplify the medal’s focus on innovations with real-world applications, such as lidar, high-speed photonics, and sustainable energy solutions.
“At NC State, we are focused on solving problems in wide-bandgap optoelectronics and ultraviolet and visible-spectrum photonic integration that we think can have a large impact on intra and interchip communications, advanced sensors and quantum technologies.”

Judged on criteria such as technical innovation, societal impact and leadership, the IEEE Nick Holonyak Jr. Medal also highlights Kish’s leadership in advancing energy-efficient semiconductor devices. This recognition places him among an elite group of professionals driving the future of optoelectronics.
“One of the most important things that I learned from Professor Holonyak was the importance of working on the ‘right’ problems. That is, problems whose solution would have a significant impact on the world. In doing so, I have been very fortunate to work with a team of very talented co-contributors who with much hard work have solved problems many thought were intractable or at the least, very difficult. Professor Holonyak once said, ‘Ideas don’t come out of nowhere… they come from hard work and building on the work of others.’ With that philosophy in mind, in many cases, we added new innovations to some of the rich history of developments in the field to achieve our breakthroughs.”
Fred Kish’s recognition underscores the lasting impact of his work and the essential role of semiconductor optoelectronic technologies in modern life. Congratulations to Fred Kish on this well-deserved honor!



