Gregory Crawford
Professor of Engineering and Physics:
Engineering
Phone: +1 401 863 2858
Phone 2: +1 401 863 3049
Gregory_Crawford@brown.edu
Professor Gregory Crawford leverages his research background in liquid crystal and polymer materials and his expertise in optical devices and displays for far-reaching applications in photonics, nano-science and technology, and biomedical devices. Examples of Professor Crawford's research include photonic crystals, the optical analog to semiconductors, that are electrically switchable for telecommunication applications; the fabrication and synthesis of novel nano-tubes for display and robust composite material applications; and non-invasive optical devices to measure hemoglobin in seconds from the conjunctiva, the internal part of your lower eyelid, without a painful and sometimes expensive blood test.
Biography
Gregory P. Crawford is currently Professor of Engineering and Physics at Brown University. His basic research interests include liquid crystals, polymers, and their application in electro-optic devices for displays, medical devices, telecommunications and integrated optics. During the 2003-2004 academic year, Professor Crawford was on Sabbatical at the Technical University of Eindhoven working on a number of liquid crystal and polymer projects. In the summer of 1999, he was a visiting research Professor at Philips Research Laboratory (Natlab) in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, where he focused on emissive pixel technology. He was formally a member of the research staff at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) and later dpiX, where he concentrated on liquid crystals and polymers materials for flat panel display applications. In addition to his research at Xerox, he instructed a graduate course on electronic displays at San Jose State University, frequently teaches short courses on flat panel displays at companies, universities and professional conferences, and he has developed a graduate course on flat panel display at Brown University. Professor Crawford did his postdoctoral work at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington D.C. focusing on electroclinic and ferroelectric materials for fast switching spatial light modulator applications. He received his B.S. in both Physics and Mathematics and a Ph.D. from Kent State University where he performed his doctoral research at the Liquid Crystal Institute and NSF ALCOM Center. He has over 200 research publications, review articles and book chapters, holds 15 US patents, and is the coeditor of the book entitled Liquid Crystals in Complex Geometries formed by Polymer and Porous Networks. Professor Crawford is the editor of a new book entitled Flexible Flat Panel Displays, which has just appeared in the Spring 2005, and well as editor of a special edition on Nano-Technology in Displays for the Journal for the Society for Information Display. Professor Crawford has recently been elected as the Vice Chair and Chair of the 2005 and 2007 Gordon Conferences on Liquid Crystals, respectively. He is a fellow of the Society for Information Display. Professor Crawford's teaching interests include engineering and high technology entrepreneurship at both the undergraduate and graduate level. During his sabbatical in the Netherlands in 2003-04, he also started a engineering entrepreneurship program at the Technical University of Eindhoven.
Interests
Professor Gregory Crawford leverages his research background in liquid crystal and polymer materials and his expertise in optical devices and displays for far-reaching applications in photonics, nano-science and technology, and biomedical devices. Examples of Professor Crawford's research include photonic crystals, the optical analog to semiconductors, that are electrically switchable for telecommunication applications; the fabrication and synthesis of novel nano-tubes for display and robust composite material applications; and non-invasive optical devices to measure hemoglobin in seconds from the conjunctiva, the internal part of your lower eyelid, without a painful and sometimes expensive blood test. Professor Crawford has close collaborations with physicians at many of the local hospitals.
Nanoscience and Technology:
In recent years, a little word with big potential has been rapidly insinuating itself into society's understanding, promising big changes from the inconceivably small. The word is 'nano'. It has conjured up speculation regarding a paradigm shift in almost every aspect of science, engineering, and technology, with overwhelming implications in many other seemingly unrelated fields, such as business, economics, ethics, social science, and international relations. In the midst of all of the 'nano-buzz,' it is indisputable that nano has moved from what was once considered science fiction in many minds to something fathomable. Independent of the number of opinions pertaining to where nano can go and its implications on society, proponents and critics agree on one underlying point – nanoscience and its spin-off technologies will have the potential to create entirely new industries, render existing ones obsolete, and will either revolutionize or indirectly disrupt nearly all industries in the future. Nanoscience is arguably the next industrial revolution and the National Science Foundation (NSF) estimates it will become a trillion dollar industry by 2015. With so much emphasis on nanoscience and technology, both the NSF and National Institutes of Health (NIH) have been creating great funding opportunities for university researchers in this field. Professor Crawford's programs in the nano-field focus on robust high strength composites (with Professors Curtin, Hurt, and Sheldon), the toxicity effect of nano-particles (with Professors Kane, Hurt, Morgan, and Brown), and nano-laser applications for biomedical applications.
Biomedical Devices:
Biophotonics is an emerging interdisciplinary frontier dealing with interactions between light and biological matter. Through the integration of four principle technologies, lasers, photonics, nanotechnology, and biotechnology, biophotonics offers immense hope for the early detection and treatment of diseases and for new modalities of light guided and light activated therapies. The well-known axiom "necessity is the mother of invention" characterizes our work focused on inspiring new advances in medicine, which transcend the traditional disciplinary boundaries. Professor Crawford has forged a tight cooperation between practicing physicians at Rhode Island Hospital and his laboratory. In most cases, physicians have identified a vital medical need that we address and attempt to solve using fundamental science and engineering techniques. The projects are focused on spectroscopy, materials for physiological emulation, and nano-science and technology. Professor Crawford's laboratory has ongoing projects on the non-invasive determination of hemoglobin (with Drs. Jay and Suner of Rhode Island Hosptial),a biosensor for identification of infectious disease (with Drs. Artenstein and Opal of Memorial Hospital), nano-lasers for many medical applications (with Dr. Jay of Rhode Island Hospital), assessment of bruises with optical spectroscopy (with Dr. Duffy of Hasbro Hospital), and optical devices to ascertain twin-twin transfusion (with Dr. Luks of Hasbro Hospital).
Photonics:
Photonics lies at the heart of the communication revolution and has evolved into a discipline in its own right. Professor Crawford's interest in photonics stems from early work in fundamental science related to flat panel displays. Today his photonics program is diverse, with emphasis on electro-opic, thermo-optic and electro-optical-mechanical studies. Synergetic with the biophotonics research programs explained above, these photonics research thrusts focus more on the underlying materials physics and their functionality. Most of the current work focuses on switable and tunable photonic crystal and diffraction grating technologies.
Awards
2005 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Act Award for Tech Breif, Improved HPDLC Materials
2005 Fellow, Society for Information Display
2005 Outstanding Achievement Award, 75th Anniversary of College of Arts and Sciences and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University
2004 Associate Editor, Journal of the Society for Information Displays
2004 Scientific Advisory Board, Solaris
2003 Elected Vice Chair (2005) and Chair (2007) of the Liquid Crystal Gordon Conference.
2003 Poster Recognition at Gordon Research Conference on Hydrocarbon Resources.
2003 Highly rated paper on Flexible Displays at the 2003 SID.
2003 Paper selected for Virtual Journal of Nanoscience & Technology [APL 83, 1331 (2003)].
2002 Certificate of Appreciation, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
2002 Ad Eundem, Masters of Arts, Brown University.
2001 Invited Speaker, Gordon Research Conference, (New London, New Hampshire)
2001 Applied Physics Paper highlighted in Science News.
2001 Poster Recognition at Gordon Research Conference on Hydrocarbon Resources.
1999 Joint Appointment in Physics.
2000-present Scientific Advisory Board, SRU BioSystems.
2000 Advisory Board, Newly Forming Magnet School (Providence, RI).
2000-2002 Scientific Advisory Board, Printed Transistor (Princeton, NJ).
2000 Onyx Teaching Award, Brown University (Providence, RI).
2000 Highly rated paper on Reflective Displays at the 2003 SID.
2000 Highly rated paper on IPS Mode Switching at the 2003 SID.
1999 Urban League Appreciation Certificate for Outreach Activities.
1999-2000 Project Kaleidoscope Faculty for the 21st Century (PKAL F21).
1999 Richard and Edna Salomon Assistant Professor, Brown University.
1999 NSBE Teaching Award.
1999-2004 NSF Career Award.
1998 NSF MRSEC Seed Proposal Recipient.
1997 The Samuel Slater University/Industry Cooperative Research Award, Providence.
1997 Highly rated paper on Laser Projection at the 1997 SID.
1997 Salomon Faculty Research Award, Brown University.
1997 Sigma Xi Honorary, Brown University.
1996 Recognition for Outstanding Short Course Instructor, University of California.
1996 Young Alumni Award, Kent State University.
1995 Alan Berman Publication Award, Naval Research Laboratory.
1994 Glenn H. Brown Award, International Recognition of Thesis on Liquid Crystals.
1993-1995 National Academy of Science / National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow.
1992 Kent State University Doctoral Dissertation Award.
1991 Sigma Xi Award for Doctoral Research.
1989, 1991 NSF International Travel Award for NATO Advanced Studies Institutes.
1989, 1992 Visiting Scientist, J. Stefan Institute, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
1986-1991 Society of Physics Students (1986-87, Vice President, KSU Chapter).
Affiliations
Fellow, Society for Imformation Display
Materials Research Society
International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE)
American Biophysical Society
Teaching
I am passionate about teaching engineering entrepreneruship at the undergraduate and graduate level. I also teach statics, on occasion, electricity and magnetism, and biophotonics.
