Robert D. Maurer (born July 20, 1924) is an American industrial physicist noted for his leadership in the invention of optical fiber.
In 1979, Maurer was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for contributions to the technology of low-loss fibers for optical communication.
In 1952 Maurer joined the physics department of Corning Glass Works, becoming manager of its applied physics group in 1960, and ultimately research fellow in 1978. He retired from Corning Incorporated[1] in 1989.
Around 1966 Maurer learned of Charles K. Kao's pioneering work in optical fibers at the Standard Telephones and Cables company in the United Kingdom, and initiated a project to develop such fibers at Corning. In 1970 Maurer and his colleagues Donald Keck and Peter C. Schultz designed and produced the first fiber with optical losses low enough for use in telecommunications by a novel process of depositing titania-doped silica inside a quartz tube using a flame-hydrolysis process and sintering, then fusing it to draw into fiber. They demonstrated optical loss as low as 20 dB/km, which for the first time indicated a practical technology.