Joseph Niemela

Niemela served as a key member of the scientific staff at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, from 2003 to 2016, where he headed various impactful initiatives. Since retiring in 2016, Niemela remains actively engaged as a scientist emeritus at ICTP, focusing on coordinating the annual ICTP College on Optics and supporting optics research for early career scientists and graduate students from developing countries. His contributions are recognized through awards such as the Galileo Galilei Silver Medal and the APS Dwight Nicholson Medal. Additionally, he holds prestigious roles including past chair of the APS Forum on International Physics and treasurer of the International Commission for Optics. Niemela has also served as vice chair of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) Commission on Physics for Development and co-chair of the UNESCO International Day of Light Steering Committee. He is an elected Fellow of APS and a Foreign Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences.