Omar Mohammed Abdelsaboor named 2026 Optica Fellow

09 November, 2025

Omar Mohammed Abdelsaboor, professor in the Materials Science and Engineering and Applied Physics program at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), has been named a 2026 Optica Fellow “for his exceptional leadership in materials engineering and pioneering ultrafast imaging and spectroscopy, revealing key carrier dynamics in light-harvesting devices.”

Optica, formerly the Optical Society of America, is one of the world’s leading organizations for optics and photonics. Fellowship in Optica is among its highest honors, recognizing individuals who have made outstanding contributions through research, innovation and education.

At KAUST, Mohammed leads the Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy and Four-Dimensional Electron Imaging group (https://femto.kaust.edu.sa/), which studies carrier dynamics in solar cells and X-ray imaging systems. His team investigates a broad range of materials—semiconductor quantum dots, perovskites, polymers, metal-organic frameworks and copper halide glasses—using advanced ultrafast laser spectroscopy and four-dimensional electron imaging.

Mohammed has authored more than 380 articles in leading international journals, including Science, Nature, Nature Materials, Nature Energy and Nature Photonics. Recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher from 2019 to 2024, he has 50,000 citations and an h-index of 104. His honors include the Kuwait Prize 2021 in physics, the Shoman Prize 2022 in Photochemistry, and the recent APS Fellowship 2025.

“Recognition by Optica reminds us that light is not merely a tool for discovery—it is the language through which we decode and decipher the applied science and applications,” Mohammed said. “In Saudi Arabia, we are translating that language into innovations that illuminate the realms of both science and society.”