Volker Deckert elected as OSA Fellow 2021

For his on-going contributions to high resolution Raman spectroscopy, in particular the realization of tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, Volker Deckert was elected to the Optical Society’s 2021 Fellow Class. This year, OSA honored 118 members from 24 countries for distinguished contributions in the field of optics and photonics. “Your election by your peers is affirmation of your impressive accomplishments within our field,” OSA President Stephen Fantone emphasized in his congratulations to the new Fellows. “Thank you for your dedication to OSA and for advancing the science of light.“

Volker Deckert heads the research department Nanoscopy at Leibniz IPHT and is Professor for Nanospectroscopy at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. His research focuses on Raman spectroscopy, optical near-field microscopy and plasmon amplification. His method based on tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) allows label-free structural surface characterization down to the single-molecule level. In March 2020, Volker Deckert received the Ellis R. Lippincott Award from OSA, the Coblentz Society and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy for innovative work in this field.

Making visible with highest resolution what diamonds are made of

„My major goal is to extend the limits of spatial resolution for label-free techniques, particularly for methods based on tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS)“, Volker Deckert says. His research is mainly driven by questions related to chemical and bio-related problems that require structural information at the highest possible resolution: e.g. the surface structure of proteins. These studies then help to understand the underlying theoretical concepts of the often-surprising lateral resolution.

Founded in 1916, the Optical Society with its 23,000 members from more than 100 countries claims to be the leading professional association in optics and photonics. Fellow membership in OSA is limited to no more than ten percent of the membership. This year, 261 nominations were submitted by current OSA Fellows.