Prof. Chris Dainty

PROF. CHRIS DAINTY (M.SC.,PH.D.(IMPERIAL COLLEGE, LONDON), F.INST.P.)

Contact Information National University of Ireland, Galway Phone: +353-91-524411 extn 2826 Direct Line: +353-91-492826 Fax: +353-91-495529 email: c.dainty@nuigalway.ie

CAREER SUMMARY

Graduated with a Diploma on Photographic Technology from Regent Street Polytechnic (now University of Westminster) in 1968.  MSc (Distinction) in Applied Optics (1969) and PhD in Physics (1972), both from Imperial College, London.   Lecturer in Physics at Queen Elizabeth College, University of London 1974 to 1978.  Associate Professor of Optics at The Institute of Optics, The University of Rochester 1978 to 1983.  Pilkington Professor of Applied Optics, Imperial College London 1984 to 2012. Professor of Applied Physics, National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG), 2002-2012. 2012-present: Professor Emeritus at NUIG.

RESEARCH INTERESTS 

Professor Dainty's research interests are in optical imaging, scattering and propagation.  In these areas he has published books: 'Scattering in Volumes and Surfaces' (1989, co-edited with M Nieto-Vesperinas), 'Laser Speckle and Related Phenomena' (1975, 2nd Ed. 1984, editor) and 'Image Science' (1974) which he co-authored with Rodney Shaw.  His research interests are adaptive optics, vision science, scattering, atmospheric propagation, polarisation and partially coherent imaging.

TEACHING INTERESTS

Professor Dainty has been active in teaching optics and physics throughout his career, at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels and in continuing education.  He has supervised 61 PhD Theses and currently has 4 PhD students.

AWARDS AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

Chris Dainty is the 1984 recipient of the International Commission of Optics Prize, the 1993 Thomas Young Medal and Prize (UK Institute of Physics), the 2003 C E K Mees Medal and Prize (OSA) and the Optics and Photonics Division Prize 2004 (IoP).  He is also a  Fellow of The Optical Society of America, SPIE, The Institute of Physics (UK) and The European Optical Society.    From 1983 to 1985 and 2005 to 2007 he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Optical Society of America: 1987–1990 he was elected Secretary-General of the ICO, President for the term 1990–1993 and was Past-President for 1993 to 1996: and 1994 to 1996 he was elected to the Board of SPIE.   Prof Dainty served on the Council of the UK Institute of Physics (1996 – 1999).  He was President of The European Optical Society from 2002 to 2004. In 2011, he was President of the Optical Society of America. From 1994 to 2002 he was editor of Optics Communications, handling almost 5000 manuscripts over nine years.

GRANTS AND CONTRACTS

Prof Dainty has been awarded more than fifty substantial research grants during his career and his group at NUI Galway has been funded since 2002 by Science Foundation Ireland, €5.2M (direct costs) for 2002 to 2007 and €4.5M (direct costs) for the period 2007 to 2012.  The group also had funding from IRCSET, Enterprise Ireland, the European Commission, and industry.