Rob Devlin, Ph.D.
Biography
Rob Devlin is co-founder and CEO of Metalenz, the first company to commercialize metasurface technology for mass markets. He holds a BS/MS in Electrical Engineering and Materials Science from Drexel University and a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University in the lab of Professor Federico Capasso. His research has spanned the topics of nanofabrication, nanophotonics, and materials science. In 2025, he was awarded Optica’s Kevin P Thompson Design Innovator Award for his critical contributions to foundational optical metasurface design, pioneering leadership to commercialize metasurface optics, and product development of the first polarization sensor for consumer markets. Leveraging the unique capabilities of metasurfaces to capture all information in light and be mass manufactured in existing semiconductor foundries, Rob and his team at Metalenz are bringing complex optical sensing systems to mobile form factors and price points for the first time.
Company Profile
Metalenz
Metalenz is at the forefront of driving innovation in optics with metasurface technology, providing solutions that redefine the possibilities of mobile imaging and sensing. As the first company to bring metasurface optics to mass markets, Metalenz’s meta-optic components shrink the size, complexity, and price point of existing sensing systems. Now, leveraging the unique abilities of metasurfaces, the company’s next-gen end-to-end image sensing solutions enable consumer devices to see beyond the limits of current visual systems, bringing powerful new insights to our lives.