Purdue Physics and Astronomy's David Nolte wins Purdue’s top undergraduate teaching honor

2026-04-14

David Nolte accepting the 2026 Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award. (Purdue University photo/Kelsey Lefever)

David D. Nolte, the Edward M. Purcell Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Purdue University, has received the 2026 Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, the university's highest honor for undergraduate teaching. The award recognizes outstanding teaching and includes a $10,000 cash prize and induction into Purdue's Teaching Academy.

Nolte is internationally recognized for his research in holography and interferometry, including pioneering work on the BioCD and dynamic contrast optical coherence tomography. In addition to his teaching accomplishments, he has authored more than 200 journal papers, written 14 book chapters and encyclopedia articles, secured 24 U.S. patents in interferometric optics and biophotonics, and helped found two startup companies focused on biological applications of interferometric detectors.

David D. Nolte, the Edward M. Purcell Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy, teaches during a class at Purdue University. (Purdue University photo/Kelsey Lefever)

He earned his bachelor's degree from Cornell University in 1981 and his doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1988. A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society and Optica, Nolte also is the author of several books spanning optical science, technology and physics, including Optical Interferometry for Biology and Medicine, Galileo Unbound and Interference: The History of Optical Interferometry and the Scientists who Tamed Light.

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