P. Scott Carney has been appointed as the chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stony Brook University, starting September 1, 2025. Before assuming this role, he will serve as a visiting professor from July 1 to August 31.
Carney is an applied theorist with a notable career in theoretical applied physics and optical engineering. He joined the University of Rochester in 2017 as a professor of optics and directed The Institute of Optics for four years. His research has significantly impacted imaging, metrology, and materials.
From 2001 to 2017, Carney was part of the Electrical and Computer Engineering faculty at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He also held a position at The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and served as interim founding director of the Innovation, Leadership, and Engineering Entrepreneurship degree program.
In addition to his academic roles, Carney was chief technology officer at Optica in Washington, D.C., where he led government affairs. He has chaired international conferences and was editor-in-chief for the Journal of the Optical Society of America for six years.
Carney co-founded Diagnostic Photonics, Inc., focusing on developing a surgical microscope for breast cancer margin assessment. His career achievements include advancements in near-field microscopy modeling, optical coherence tomography solutions, interferometric synthetic aperture microscopy invention, and synthetic optical holography development.
Andrew Singer, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Stony Brook University stated: “Professor Carney will bring his deep scholarship and entrepreneurial spirit to this role as chair. We have a strong mechanical engineering program and are looking forward to its continued growth in impact and scholarship under his leadership.”
Carney's accolades include being a Fulbright Fellow, receiving an NSF Career Award, and earning the William F. Meggers Award from the Society for Applied Spectroscopy. He is recognized as a fellow by both the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and Optica. Additionally, he holds numerous awards for teaching excellence.
Carney earned his bachelor's degree in engineering physics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1994 and completed his doctorate in physics at the University of Rochester in 1999.
He succeeds interim chair Jon Longtin in leading Stony Brook University's Department of Mechanical Engineering.