Born in Arkansas, Robert D. Maurer would choose to graduate from his home state university. He earned his degree in physics from the University of Arkansas in 1948 and went on to earn a Ph.D. from MIT in 1951.

Since Maurer had enlisted in the United States Army Reserve, duty would briefly interrupt his educational pursuits. He was called into service in 1944 and served in Europe with the 99th Infantry Division. While his education would never be completely on hold, he did have to postpone his studies long enough to serve with the US Army Reserves.

After serving his country in the service and his post graduate studies, Robert D. Maurer joined the physics department at Corning University. He worked in research and development.

It was in 1970 when Robert D. Maurer would discover the first optical fiber that was perfect for use in telecommunications due to the low optical losses that could be used for telecommunications. This discovery alone was more than enough of a contribution to earn Robert D. Maurer his rightful place in the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Robert D. Maurer holds sixteen patents. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and has earned the respect of those in his field. Robert D. Maurer's awards include the National Medal of Technology and he was a recipient of the Charles Stark Draper Prize.