Arti Agrawal facts for kids

Arti Agrawal is a brilliant scientist and engineer. She is well-known for her work with light and computers, a field called photonics. She also works hard to make sure everyone feels welcome in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This is called diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has won many awards for her amazing contributions in both areas.

Dr. Agrawal uses computers to create models and simulations of devices that use light. These are called photonic devices and optical parts. Currently, she is an Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney. She also leads the Women in Engineering and Information Technology program there. She is also an Associate Vice President for Diversity at the IEEE Photonics Society.

Early Life and Education

Arti Agrawal was born in New Delhi, India. She earned her Ph.D. in Physics in 2005 from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. For her Ph.D., she worked with Anurag Sharma. She developed special math methods to understand how light travels through tiny tunnels called waveguides.

After her Ph.D., Dr. Agrawal received a special scholarship called a Royal Society Postdoctoral Fellowship. This allowed her to study special light-guiding fibers called photonic crystal fibers at the City, University of London. She stayed there for almost ten years, working as a researcher, a teacher, and helping Ph.D. students.

Research and Career

Dr. Agrawal has written or edited several books about using computers to study light. She has also published over 50 articles in science journals. She teaches classes in physics, optics, and engineering. Her special skills include using finite element methods, working with solar cells, and studying nanophotonics, which is about light at a very tiny scale. She also researches how light can be used in medicine, known as biomedical optics.

Dr. Agrawal is very passionate about making STEM fields open to everyone. She has worked with many groups to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM. She helps young students get interested in science. She also creates chances for women to get internships and scholarships. She has started networking groups and organized conferences. Today, she leads a whole department focused on helping women in STEM. She especially works to support women, people of color, and people of all different identities.

Awards and Recognition

Dr. Agrawal has received many important awards for her work:

• She was recognized by The Optical Society for her dedication to promoting diversity and inclusion in the global light science community.
• She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Physics.
• She is a Senior Member of OSA and the IEEE Photonics Society.
• In 2020, she received the Distinguished Service Award from the IEEE Photonics Society. This was for her amazing work in leading diversity and inclusion efforts.
• She received an Excellence in Teaching award from City, University of London.
• She was an OSA Ambassador in 2016.

Helping the Science Community

Dr. Agrawal also helps the science community in many ways:

• She is the Associate Vice President of Diversity for the IEEE Photonics Society.
• She has been a Chair and board member for the Membership Engagement and Development Council at OSA.
• She works as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Photonics Journal.
• She is a Section Editor for the Journal of the European Optical Society.
• In 2019, she helped organize the Women in Engineering Symposium.
• In 2009, she started a multicultural networking group called GWN for women of different identities.

Books and Articles

Here are some of the books and articles Dr. Agrawal has written:

• Recent Trends in Computational Photonics, Springer (2017)
• Finite Element Time Domain Methods for Photonics, Springer (2017)
• "Hut-like pillar array Si solar cells," Solar Energy (2016)
• "Golden spiral photonic crystal fiber: polarization and dispersion properties," Optics Letters (2008)
• "New method for nonparaxial beam propagation," Journal of the Optical Society of America A (2004)

Personal Life

Dr. Agrawal is a strong supporter of students of all identities in STEM. She has started and worked with many groups to help them. She also writes a personal blog where she shares her thoughts on science, fairness, and teaching.

See also

In Spanish: Arti Agrawal para niños