Kent State University’s Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute will present 15 awards to alumni and academics who have served or trained at the institute as part of its 60th anniversary celebration April 25-26.
Here are the award recipients:
Lifetime Achievement Awards
Cheng Chen, Ph.D. ‘06, is an executive in Apple’s Hardware Technology team, where he has led a diverse technical portfolio spanning liquid crystal display and organic light-emitting diode displays, optics, perceptual computing and vision science. His contributions and leadership have played a key role in the development of numerous iconic Apple products, including the first iPad and Apple Vision Pro. Cheng is widely recognized as a distinguished technologist and leader in the field of display technology. In recognition of his contributions, he was named a fellow of the Society for Information Display in 2022.
Gregory P. Crawford, Ph.D. ‘91, M.A. ‘88, B.S. ‘87, president of Ohio’s Miami University, earned his bachelor's (physics), master's (physics), and doctorate (chemical physics) degrees from Kent State University. He completed two postdoctoral fellowships and was a researcher at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center before joining the faculty of Brown University. His work includes more than 400 research and education publications, review articles and book chapters and 21 U.S. patents and patent applications. Before joining Miami University, Crawford was vice president and associate provost at the University of Notre Dame. He joined Notre Dame’s faculty in 2008, serving as the William K. Warren Foundation Dean of the College of Science. He previously served as the dean of engineering at Brown, where he joined the physics and engineering faculty in 1996. Crawford met his wife, Renata, while both were studying for their doctorate degrees in physics at Kent State.
Mary Neubert, Ph.D., began working at the Liquid Crystal Institute in 1972 as a postdoctoral fellow and became a senior research fellow in 1979. Her work at the institute involved the design and synthesis of a significant number of liquid crystalline materials for researchers within the institute and throughout the world and resulted in the publication of more than 100 papers in refereed journals. Her retirement, in 2002, after 30 years at the institute, coincided with the honor of her receiving the Fredericks Medal at the 19th International Liquid Crystal Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Jack M. Wilson, Ph.D. ‘72, M.A. ‘70, trained as a physicist and began his career as a research and teaching professor of physics using high-performance computing to model
complex systems. His work led him to focus on high-performance computing, and he founded the computer software company, ILinc, which was eventually purchased by CISCO as part of its BroadSoft acquisition in 2019. Wilson had a long career in administration and computing and has advised many top technology corporations, including IBM and AT&T, the FBI, the CIA, the United States Army, and other smaller new ventures. Wilson has received numerous national awards for his work, including the FBI Award for Exceptional Service in the Public Interest. He served as president of the University of Massachusetts from 2003-2011.
Distinguished Alumni Awards
James Anderson, Ph.D., ‘00, M.A. ‘97, B.S. ’97, is recognized for driving technological innovation and strategic growth. With a proven track record of managing high-impact initiatives, he has overseen a $1.5 billion technology portfolio, generated
over $1 billion annually in new opportunities, and played a pivotal role in commercializing more than 20 breakthrough products. His ability to define strategy, execute complex projects and collaborate with Fortune 100 executives has positioned him as a leader in global innovation. Over his 25-year career, Anderson has led large, cross-functional teams and pioneered advancements in more than 10 industries. His experience spans over 35 technology platforms, including artificial intelligence, metamaterials, advanced optical films, and next-generation privacy solutions. At 3M, he has played a critical role in establishing new corporate IP structures, developing state-of-the-art research laboratories and spearheading transformative special projects. Currently serving as special projects director in 3M’s Corporate Research Laboratory, Anderson leads initiatives in innovation strategy, university relations, PFAS remediation, government partnerships and AI development. He is instrumental in shaping 3M’s technological roadmap and has represented the company’s innovations to investors, analysts and global stakeholders. A recipient of multiple awards, Anderson is a member of 3M’s Technical Council, reinforcing his standing as a leader in science, technology and corporate innovation. His dedication to advancing research and fostering industry collaboration continues to drive meaningful impact on a global scale.
Phil Bos, Ph.D. ‘78, M.A. ‘75, is a professor of physics and a member of the Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State. Before joining Kent State in 1994, Bos was a principal scientist in the Display Research Laboratory of Tektronix Inc. He has authored more than 150 papers in the field of liquid crystals and liquid crystal displays, has more than 30 issued patents, and has supervised 29 graduate students. His field of interest is electro-optical applications of liquid crystals. He was twice the general chair of the International Display Research Conference, is a fellow of the Society for Information Display, and is a recipient of Kent State’s Distinguished Scholar Award.
Jianmin Chen, Ph.D. ‘95, has 31 years of professional experience in the display industry with an excellent track record, particularly in challenging environments. His unique combination of technical knowledge and business acumen has served him well throughout his career. He holds 31 U.S. patents, has published more than 70 scientific papers, and has coauthored a book. Chen has developed liquid crystal display design software that is widely used in the display industry. For the past 16 years, he has served in vice president positions at RealD Inc.
Jianlin Li, Ph.D. ‘94, earned his doctorate in physics at Kent State, with previous work at Peking University and the University of Akron, which served as a backdrop to his research work with his doctoral advisor, Professor Peter Palffy-Muhoray, Ph.D. He served a post-doctoral fellowship with Professor Phil Bos, Ph.D., also at the Liquid Crystal Institute. A holder of multiple U.S. patents, Li is currently the president of Polytronix, Inc., a leading manufacturer of liquid crystal displays in the United States.
Lu Lu, Ph.D. ‘12, is a research scientist at Meta Reality Labs, specializing in the development and commercialization of augmented and mixed reality glasses and liquid crystal polarization hologram technology. She earned her doctorate in chemical physics at Kent State and holds more than 120 U.S. patents, reflecting her passion for advancing cutting-edge technologies that shape the future of the augmented reality and mixed reality industry.
Erica Montbach, Ph.D. ‘03, is the manager of the Planetary Exploration Science Technology Office at NASA, where she crafts the technology investment strategy for future planetary science missions, manages all pre-mission planetary science technology development, coordinates with other technology development programs, and infuses technology into planetary science. Montbach’s experience has focused on research and development, entrepreneurship, small business innovation, industry trend analysis, public-private partnerships, patent portfolio maturation and grants management. She has led multi-disciplinary teams to develop solutions for a sustained presence on the Moon, as part of In-Situ Resource Utilization technologies. Her technical background includes designing advanced manufacturing environments, materials development, creating flexible electronics and evolving display technologies for consumer products. Montbach has co-authored a published book chapter, written over 35 technical papers, has 22 patents, and has presented technical results along with technology direction and program management. Montbach has a bachelor’s degree in physics from the College of Wooster, a master’s degree in physics from Colorado State University, and a doctorate in chemical physics from Kent State.
Ivan Smalyukh, Ph.D. ‘03, studied chemical physics at Kent State after completing his undergraduate studies at Lviv Polytechnic National University in Ukraine. He is a tenured professor at the Department of Physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder, which he joined in 2007. He is the director of the International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter, headquartered in Hiroshima, Japan, and is a founding fellow of the Renewable Sustainable Energy Institute, a joint institute of CU-Boulder and National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He is an elected fellow of the International Society for Optics and Photonics, the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Optica (the Optical Society of America). He has received numerous awards, including the Bessel Award, the Glenn Brown Award, the Gray Medal, NASA’s iTech Award, the Mid-Career Award of the International Liquid Crystal Society, the PECASE Award from the Office of Science and Technology of the White House and the GSoft Award from the American Physical Society.
Maria Joao Vaz, Ph.D. ‘81, M.A. ‘78, retired in 2020 as Professor Emeritus of physics and vice president for academic affairs and provost from Lawrence Technological University, in Southfield, Michigan. Vaz joined the Lawrence Tech faculty in 1984. Her professional career at Lawrence Tech included serving as chair of the Department of Natural Sciences, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, associate provost and dean of graduate programs. In addition to Lawrence Tech’s four colleges, Vaz oversaw the library and the offices of e-Learning, Student Affairs, Enrollment Management and Corporate and Community Partnerships. Vaz established Lawrence Tech’s leadership curriculum program required for all undergraduate students and has been an advocate of entrepreneurial-minded engineering education, project- and research-based education. Maria Vaz is married to Nuno Vaz, who also received his doctorate from Kent State and is an alumnus of the Liquid Crystal Institute.
Charles Wang, Ph.D. ‘03, is the chief executive officer and chief technology officer of LXD Research and Display LLC, in Raleigh, North Carolina. LXD’s predecessor, ILIXCO (International Liquid Xtal Company), was the first manufacturer of commercial twisted nematic displays in the world, using technology discovered by the late Jim Fergason at Kent State’s Liquid Crystal Institute in 1971. Prior to serving in the role of CEO, Wang was LXD’s vice president of Development and International Business. During his tenure at LXD, Wang has led a successful transformation of LXD from the oldest liquid crystal display manufacturer in the U.S. to a global player in customized displays with customers spanning the world. Wang also spent more than two years with the display global operation team at Apple, where he was DRI in the development, delivery and support of new Apple product introductions, including iPad2, iPad3 Retina, iPad mini, Macbook Pro Retina and Slim Unibody iMac displays. Wang obtained his doctorate under the supervision of Professor Phil Bos, Ph.D., at Kent State’s Liquid Crystal Institute and has obtained more than 14 U.S. patents during his 30 years in the field of liquid crystal and display.
Philip Watson, Ph.D. ‘00, B.S. ‘94, is a collaborative scientist, advisor and technology executive with a passion for building high-trust, fun and effective teams. An inventor with more than 50 U.S. patents across the fields of displays, optics, sensors, neuroscience, generative AI and other domains, he loves collectively solving hard problems with people from varied backgrounds. Following Watson’s completion of his doctorate in chemical physics at Kent State under Professor Phil Bos, Ph.D., Watson was a key player in multiple display, optics and technology integration projects at 3M – including startup and leadership of a new lab in Singapore to develop pico-projection modules and assemblies. He additionally served multiple years on 3M’s storied “Genesis Committee” responsible for seed-funding of new technology projects across the company. Watson joined Google X (now X the Moonshot Factory) in 2014. As research and development director and leader of the new projects team, he was responsible for the formation and early incubation of multiple successful ventures, including human augmentation company Skip (skipwithjoy.com) and audio computer company Iyo (iyo.audio). More recently, as general manager of Alphabet’s “AI for Photonics Design” platform, Watson shaped and led the team that developed the world’s first product-ready and fabrication-ready inverse designed CWDM demultiplexer, a critical need and missing link for the next generations of high-bandwidth data communications. Outside of work, he enjoys running the trails of the Santa Cruz Mountains, improvising music, keeping vintage old cars alive and running an award-winning winery with his wife Amy.
Haiji (Jim) Yuan, Ph.D. ‘91, M.A. ‘88, has served as the vice president and general manager of WSS (Wavelength
Selective Switches) at Coherent since 2018 after merging CoAdna into II-VI (now Coherent Corp.). Yuan has served as the chair, chief executive officer and president of CoAdna Photonics, Inc., a company he co-founded in 2000 and took public in 2011. Prior to co-founding CoAdna, Yuan was a general manager at Philips Components, where he successfully built a global team and completed a significant joint venture. His team has successfully developed leading-edge electro-optic technologies and commercialized the Rainbow Spectrum 3750 that won the “Product of the Year” Gold Award from the Society of Information Displays in 2000. Before Philips, Yuan held senior positions at dpiX/Xerox, AlliedSignal/Honeywell, KDS and Crystaloid Electronics. Yuan has been awarded more than 15 U.S. patents with additional pending. He also served as the chair of the Electro-Optics Association from 1999-2000. In addition to his doctorate in physics from Kent State, Yuan completed the Leadership and Management Program at the University of California.