Mikhail Kats wins prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

Mikhail Kats, the Jack St. Clair Kilby and Antoine-Bascom Professor in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has received a 2025 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

The award, established in 1996, is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers early in their careers. The PECASE recognizes researchers who show exceptional potential for leadership and is typically awarded to 60-100 individuals per year across all fields of science and engineering.

Kats, who joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at UW-Madison in 2015, engages in experimental and theoretical exploration of topics across the fields of optics and photonics, device physics, nanoscale science and quantum technologies. The goal of his research group is to investigate fundamental problems in optics and photonics and to create next-generation optical components to emit, modulate and detect light across the visible and infrared spectral ranges.

“I’m thrilled to receive the PECASE, which is representative of efforts and support from my research group, colleagues, collaborators, current and former mentors, administrative staff, and family,” says Kats, who was nominated for the award by the Office of Naval Research. “Without that big extended team, sustained success is not possible.”

For instance, Kats points to Chenghao Wan, his first PhD student, who was instrumental in performing simulations and creating figures for his first research proposal to the Office of Naval Research (ONR)—a proposal to the Young Investigator Program on sensor protection from high-intensity light sources. That proposal resulted in funding and a long, fruitful relationship with ONR, which later induced an Early Career Grant with a broad scope of developing infrared optics with engineered optical materials.

“Within the Office of Naval Research, I received mentorship from Program Officer Ryan Hoffman, who has supported and championed my research now over many years,” says Kats. “I am deeply grateful for this support.”

This PECASE announcement is the first since 2019, with a total of 398 recipients. Kats is one of three recipients at UW-Madison, along with Daniel Amador-Noguez (Bacteriology) and Mihaela Ifrim (Mathematics).

Kats is the fourth ECE faculty member to receive the PECASE, following professors Daniel van der Weide (1997), Susan Hagness (2000), and  Zhenqiang Ma (2008).