Prior to that role, he was head of the Photonics Networks Research Department of Lucent Bell Laboratories, Holmdel, New Jersey.
This research led to the early development of titanium diffused lithium niobate waveguide modulators that are now deployed as the high-speed signal-encoding engine in fiber optic transmission systems around the world.
From Optica, he has received the 2018 Frederic Ives Medal/Jarus W. Quinn Prize and the Robert H. Hopkins Leadership Award.
Alferness also currently serves on the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) executive management committee.
[2] Alferness was elected as a member into the National Academy of Engineering in 2003 for contributions to the development of electro-optic devices and circuits for light-wave transmission and switching systems.