Ian Hodgkinson
About Optica
In Memoriam: Ian Hodgkinson, 1939 - 2022
25 July 2022
Ian James Hodgkinson, Optica Fellow passed away on 9 May 2022 at the age of 82. Hodkinson was most known for his contributions to the field of thin film optics and resonators which extended to living organisms. He sought to establish methods for the design and production of optically-polarizing sculptured thin films, and bring together the complete design pathway from theory to application.
Hodgkinson was born 19 May 1939 in Invercargill, New Zealand. He spent most of his childhood in Invercargill and went to the Invercargill Technical College where he participated in team sports, became Head Boy and won the David B. Cameron Memorial Leadership prize in 1956. Hodgkinson then continued his education in Dunedin North, New Zealand, where he attended the University of Otago and received his Bachelor of Science in Physics in 1960. It was during this time that he met his late wife, Jenny.
In 1961, the University of Otago’s Department of Physics appointed Hodgkinson to an assistant lectureship. Hodgkinson continued his studies at the university, completing his Master of Science in 1963 and then his PhD in 1970. He soon became Professor and remained a member of the teaching staff in the department for the next 42 years. During this time, he conducted research on scarab beetles and their camouflage in New Zealand Manuka shrubs, as well as human vision, particularly visual defects, and developed an accurate low-cost screening test along with Anthony Molteno. In 1997, in partnership with Qihong Wu, he wrote, Birefringent Thin Films and Polarizing Elements which encapsulated his contributions to the optical aspects of sculptured thin films.
Hodkinson’s contributions did not go unnoticed and in 1999, he was recognized as a Fellow by the Royal Society of New Zealand. In 2003, Optica recognized his contributions with Fellow status for understanding anisotropic thin films and for creating tools to transform the films from curiosities into useful components. In 2004, he was awarded the Royal Society of New Zealand T.K. Sidey medal for outstanding research concerning electromagnetic radiation.
Hodgkinson chaired the Physics department at Otago University from 1997 until his retirement and mentored several graduate and undergraduate students. He is survived by his three children, Chris, Jane, and Tim, his grandchildren, Sarah, Daniel, Jack, Henry, Kate, Holly, and Maegan, and his great-grandchildren, Margo and Opal.
Optica, his students, and the scientific community mourn his loss.
