Juris Upatnieks (born 7 May 1936 in Riga) is a Latvian-American physicist and inventor, and pioneer in the field of holography.

Upatnieks fled the Latvia with his parents at the close of World War II, seeking asylum in Germany.

Thereafter he studied at the Institute of Science and Technology of the University of Michigan, where he earned a master's degree in electrical engineering in 1965.

He was named "Inventor of the Year" in 1976 by the American Association for the Advancement of Invention and Innovation.

[2] Upatnieks is holder or co-holder of twenty United States Patents in the fields of holography and coherent radiation.