SPIE Fellow Christopher C. Davis, the Minta Martin Professor of Engineering and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Maryland (UMD), passed away on 1 April, 2023, after a brief illness.
An SPIE member for more than 15 years, Davis authored several SPIE Proceedings papers and served as co-chair of the Free Space Laser Communications conference and the Laser Communication and Propagation through the Atmosphere and Oceans conference at SPIE Optics + Photonics. He also authored Lasers and Electro-Optics, and co-authored Building Scientific Apparatus with Jack Moore and Mike Coplan.
Born in Manchester, UK, Davis received a BA in natural sciences from the University of Cambridge's Trinity College in 1965. He went on to earn a MA from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD in physics from the University of Manchester. Prior to joining UMD, he served as an instructor and research associate at Cornell University. Davis taught at UMD for 48 years, where he earned numerous distinction and teaching awards and was a beloved teacher, mentor, and colleague.
Davis' work greatly influenced the fields of free-space optical and directional radio frequency (RF) communication systems as well as atmospheric turbulence, advanced surveillance systems, plasmonics, chemical and biological sensors, interferometry, optical systems, bioelectromagnetics, and RF dosimetry. His recent research focused on optical and RF directional wireless; real-time advanced surveillance systems with “event” detection; the optical properties of nanostructures where surface plasmons can be excited; laser interferometry; dielectrometry; fiber sensors and biosensors; magnetooptics; optical trace detection; atmospheric turbulence; optical communication systems and devices; and studies of the biological effects of non-ionizingradiation.
A private celebration of his life with family and close friends is planned for a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
To read more about Davis and his work, see the full memoriam from UMD and visit the tribute site.
