Charles Kao

Known as the father of fiber optic communications, Charles K. Kao discovered that by purifying glass, the material could replace copper wires in telecommunication to carry enormous amounts of information over long distances. For his discovery, which he made in the 1960s and which laid the foundation for today’s vast fiber optic networks, he was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics. He has also served as a professor at Yale University and the vice chancellor at the University of Hong Kong. Updated 2012