Mitra Dutta (born 1953) is an Indian-American physicist and electronics engineer known for her research on

optoelectronics Optoelectronics (or optronics) is the study and application of electronic devices and systems that find, detect and control light, usually considered a sub-field of photonics. In this context, ''light'' often includes invisible forms of radi ...

. She is a distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering at the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...

, and the university's former vice chancellor for research.

Education and career

Dutta is a graduate of

Gauhati University Gauhati University also known as GU, is a collegiate public state university located in Guwahati, Assam, India. It was established on 26 January 1948 under the provisions of an Act enacted by the Assam Legislative Assembly and is the oldest un ...

, and has a master's degree in physics from the

University of Delhi The Delhi University (DU, ISO 15919, ISO: ), also and officially known as the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate research university, research Central university (India), central university located in Delhi, India. It ...

. She earned a second master's degree and PhD in physics at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

. She was a postdoctoral researcher at

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

, the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

, and

Brookhaven National Laboratory Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratories, United States Department of Energy national laboratory located in Upton, New York, a hamlet of the Brookhaven, New York, Town of Brookhaven. It w ...

before becoming a team leader and eventually division director of physics at the

United States Army Research Laboratory The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL) is the foundational research laboratory for the United States Army under the United States Army Futures Command (AFC). DEVCOM ARL conducts intramural an ...

. She moved to the Army Research Office in 1996, as head of the electronics division and later director of research technology and integration. Dutta moved to the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2001, and was named a Distinguished Professor in 2004. She headed the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering for over ten years, from her 2001 appointment until being named vice chancellor for research in 2012. She stepped down as vice chancellor in 2018, and was succeeded by geneticist Joanna Groden.

Books

Dutta is the coauthor of ''Phonons in Nanostructures'' (with Michael A. Stroscio, Cambridge University Press, 2001), and of ''Introduction to Optical and Optoelectronic Properties of Nanostructures'' (with Stroscio, V. V. Mitin, and V. A. Kochelap, Cambridge University Press, 2019), and the editor of multiple

edited volume Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written language, written, Image editing, visual, Audio engineer, audible, or Film editing, cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing p ...

Recognition

Dutta became a Fellow of the Optical Society in 1998. She was named a

Fellow of the IEEE A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...

in 1999, "for contributions to heterostructure-based optoelectronic and electronic devices", and in 2000 the IEEE gave her the Harry Diamond Memorial Award for "innovative design, characterization and realization of high performance heterostructure optoelectronic devices, and establishment of major research programs in this field". The

Society of Women Engineers The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is an international not-for-profit educational and service organization. Founded in 1950 and headquartered in the United States, the Society of Women Engineers is a major advocate for women in engineering and ...

gave her their Achievement Award in 2003. She became a

Fellow of the American Physical Society The American Physical Society honors members with the designation ''Fellow'' for having made significant accomplishments to the field of physics. The following lists are divided chronologically by the year of designation. * List of fellows of the ...

(APS) in 2012, after a nomination by the APS Forum on Physics and Society, "for research leadership and administration in government and academia, through which she has supported the applications of physics for society, outreach to the public, and enhancement of physics education". She is also a Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutta, Mitra 1953 births Living people American electronics engineers American women engineers American physicists American women physicists Indian electronics engineers Indian women engineers Indian physicists Indian women physicists Gauhati University alumni Delhi University alumni University of Cincinnati alumni University of Illinois Chicago faculty Fellows of the IEEE Fellows of Optica (society) Fellows of the American Physical Society Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 21st-century American women