Arnold represents the highest standard of STEM education, a rare combination of world‑class researcher, transformative educator and innovation leader.
The Susan Dod Brown Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton, where he also serves as Vice Dean for Innovation since 2022, Arnold has built a career defined by scholarship, mentorship and a commitment to translating scientific discovery into real‑world impact.
From 2015-22, he served as director of the Princeton Materials Institute, where he led the expansion of Princeton’s materials characterization and fabrication facilities, which enables hundreds of students, researchers, and industry members from across the region to access cutting edge scientific equipment. In 2024, he was named the school’s first University Innovation Officer, a role created to strengthen the university’s innovation ecosystem and accelerate the pathway from research to application. That emphasis on translation has long shaped Arnold’s teaching and research — and it extends well beyond campus.
As the lead on a National Science Foundation–funded project in photonics, he has advanced fundamental understanding of how light interacts with matter, while directly involving students in high‑level scientific inquiry and promoting regional economic development and workforce education. His research integrates undergraduates and graduate students into materials science, laser manufacturing, and energy technology studies, giving them early exposure to the tools and mindset of experimental science at its highest level.
This is no surprise to those who know him. Arnold holds multiple patents, has authored more than 225 papers and is the founder of four companies and one nonprofit organization based on research conducted at Princeton. Among his most impactful innovations is the tunable acoustic gradient (TAG) lens, an adjustable optical device that focuses light in response to sound waves.
Arnold’s contributions have garnered professional and industrial acclaim. He has earned three commendations for outstanding teaching and four Engineering Council Excellence in Teaching awards from Princeton. Most recently, he was honored as the 2025 Catalyst awardee from the New Jersey Research and Development Council for his efforts at fostering collaboration across the state’s innovation and academic ecosystems.
