Former CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ engineering professor wins presidential award
Kristina M. Johnson, who served as a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ from 1985 to 1999, has been awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Joe Biden.
At a ceremony held in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 3, Johnson and eight others received the nation’s highest honor recognizing exemplary achievement and leadership in science and technology.
Johnson distinguished herself through groundbreaking research in optoelectronics, photonics, and nanotechnology that led to 46 U.S. patents. Her innovations have contributed to advancements in the sustainable energy, manufacturing, quantum computing, and medical fields.
An engineer who grew up in Denver’s entrepreneurial environment, Johnson co-founded ColorLink, which focused on innovations in microdisplays and color polarizing technology. She was also the chief executive officer of Cube Hydro Partners, LLC, a clean energy company and a joint venture between a company she founded, Enduring Hydro, and a private equity firm.
Johnson’s career has included leading the National Science Foundation-funded Engineering Research Center for Optoelectronic Computing Systems at CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ and Colorado State University. She also served as undersecretary of energy at the U.S. Department of Energy during the Obama administration.
Johnson was the president of Ohio State University from 2020 to 2023. From 2017 to 2020, she was chancellor of the State University of New York. She’s been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.
Arati Prabhakar, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology, awards Kristina Johnson, right, the National Medal of Technology and Innovation during an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 3. (Courtesy Photo/Ryan K. Morris and the NSTMF)