The founder of Delaware State University’s optics program has left the University.
After 21 years at DSU, Dr. Noureddine Melikechi left to head the Kennedy College of Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Melikechi was dean of DSU’s College of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology, where he developed laser technology for the high resolution camera, dubbed the ChemCam, aboard the Mars Curiosity Rover.
He also developed technology for the SuperCam to be used on the upcoming Mars 2020 rover.
Melikechi told the Delaware State News that he’d been at DSU a long time and wanted a different experience.
During his tenure at the school, he oversaw the opening of the school’s Optical Science Center for Applied Research Building.
Melikechi helped attract millions of dollars in grants to the school’s optics program - including funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation.
