David Neil Payne CBE FRS FREng is a leading Professor at the University of Southampton and Director of the Optoelectronics Research Centre. He is one of the most highly honoured members of photonics community and has been awarded the top American, European and Japanese prices in photonics. He was knighted in the 2013 Queen’s New Year Honours List for services in photonics, the sciences and application of light and electronics.

He is a Fellow of OSA and received the 1991 John Tyndall Award “for outstanding contributions to the design, measurement, and fabrication of optical fibers and active fiber devices.”