John McCloy, professor and director of WSU’s School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, has been named a fellow of SPIE, an international professional society in the area of optics and photonics.
Fellows are recognized for their significant scientific and technical contributions in optics and imaging and for service to the professional optics community, according to the SPIE website. McCloy is one of 47 fellows worldwide elected in 2025.
“SPIE was my first professional society, and it has followed and influenced my career for more than two decades,” said McCloy. “It’s an honor to be recognized by my colleagues.”
With WSU since 2013, McCloy’s research interests include ceramics and metals, electronic materials, and nuclear engineering and materials. He has led a decade-long collaboration between WSU and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of River Protection to better understand glass formulations and to train students in nuclear waste cleanup. The work has led to more than $3 million of direct funding and training of more than 30 WSU students.
He recently served as the director of WSU’s Institute of Materials Research (IMR) and was also a Fulbright Scholar in nuclear materials at the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom.
McCloy is a fellow of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) and recipient of the ACerS’ Richard M. Fulrath award and an elected member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences. He’s authored more than 300 technical publications, including more than 220 journal articles and a book. He also holds three patents. Prior to his work at WSU, McCloy worked in materials research and development for Raytheon Missile Systems and at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
McCloy holds master’s and PhD degrees from the University of Arizona in material science and engineering, a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a master’s degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Arizona.
