On November 18, 2011, the Optical Society of America (OSA) announced that Sergey B. Mirov, UAB Professor of Physics and University Professor, was elected to the rank of Fellow. His election was based on his "outstanding contributions to the development of novel vibronic lasers based on color center crystals and II-VI wide band semiconductors doped with transition metal ions".

The OSA Fellow designation is awarded to OSA members who have made significant contributions to the advancement of optics. Candidates for Fellow membership are nominated by peers who are themselves OSA Fellows. The OSA Fellow Members Committee reviews each nomination and recommends candidates to the Board of Directors annually. The number of Fellows is limited by the Society's bylaws to be no more than 10% of the total OSA Membership.

Dr. Mirov had previously been awarded the Snell Premium Prize in 2004 by the United Kingdom's IEEE and was the recipient of the UAB Caroline P. and Charles W. Ireland Prize for Scholarly Distinction in 2009.