Daniel Blumenthal

Professor
Electrical & Computer Engineering

Contact

(805) 893-4168
danb@ece.ucsb.edu
3001 Henley Hall

University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5080

ECE Website

IEE Research Areas: 

Electronics & Photonics

Affiliations: 

FRESCO (ARPA-E), PI
Terabit Optical Ethernet Center (TOEC), Director
Microsoft Optics in the Cloud, Member
National LambdaRail, Past Member Board of Directors
Internet2 Architecture, Past Member (Elected) Advisory Council
Calient Networks, Co-Founder
Packet Photonics,  Co-Founder

Honors: 

Recipient of Optica 2020 C. E. K. Mees Medal
2018 Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI)
2017 Microsoft visiting Faculty Researcher
2006 Fellow of the Optical Society of America
2005 Co-Author of Tunable Laser Diodes and Related Optical Sources (Wiley)
2003 Fellow of the IEEE
1999 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
1997 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program Award 
1994 ​National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award 
 

Research Description: 

Daniel Blumenthal’s research interests are in optical communications, photonic packet switching and all-optical networks, all-optical wavelength conversion and regeneration, ultra-fast communications, InP (indium phosphide) Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICS) and nanophotonic device technologies. In addition to his research in energy-efficient photonics for communications, he directs the LASOR (Label-Switched Optical Router) Project, which aims to move more network router processing into the optical domain, thereby saving power and reducing the necessity of costly high-speed electronics.

Education: 

BS: Electrical Engineering, University of Rochester (1981)
MS: Electrical Engineering, Columbia University (1988)
Ph.D: Electrical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder (1993)

Biography: 

Dr. Blumenthal is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of ECE at UCSB, Director of the Terabit Optical Ethernet Center and heads the Optical Communications and Photonics Integration group.  He holds 23 patents and has published over 480 papers in the areas of optical communications and optical packet switching, ultra-narrow linewidth integrated lasers, optical gyro sensors, and photonic integration integrated circuits, integrated atom cooling photonics, nano-photonics and microwave photonics. He is Co-Founder of Packet Photonics Inc. and Calient Networks and co-author of Tunable Laser Diodes and Related Optical Sources (New York: IEEE–Wiley, 2005).

Dr. Blumenthal is recipient of the 2020 OSA C. E. K. Mees Medal, a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), Fellow of the IEEE and Fellow of the Optical Society of America. He is recipient of a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, a National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award and an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program Award.  Blumenthal received the Ph.D. degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder (1993), the M.S.E.E. from Columbia University (1988) and the B.S.E.E from the University of Rochester (1981).

More Info: 

For more information on Daniel Blumenthal, check out his video and presentation entitled "The UCSB Terabit Optical Ethernet Center (TOEC) and the Greening of Photonic Technologies" here.

Projects