Speakers

 

Speakers’ bios and abstracts below appear in order of their presentation according to the agenda.

Underneath student names is a link to a very short survey to review their presentation. We strongly encourage Industrial Affiliates members to complete these short surveys to give feedback to the students. 

Workshop Presenters

Five-Minute Rapid Fire Presenters

Lab Tours

Poster Presenters

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Workshop Presenters

 

Katie Schwertz, Sr. Manager, Optical Assemblies & Technology, Edmund Optics, Optics Valley Chair

Keynote Speaker

Title: 

Optics Clusters: Engines of Regional Growth

Bio: 

 

Brandon Chalifoux, Assistant Professor of Optical Sciences, Assistant Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

 

Title:

Ultrathin mirrors for space applications using ultrafast laser stress figuring

Abstract: 

Space-borne optical systems increasingly require large quantities of lightweight mirrors, for which thin meniscus mirrors may be ideal to balance cost, volume, and mass. Ultrafast laser stress figuring is a technique for precisely bending mirrors into a desired shape by focusing ultrafast laser pulses into a substrate. This is part of the solution for enabling accurate thin mirrors, but coating, mounting, and alignment are other challenges that ultrafast laser processing can also help address. This talk will focus on the research directions being pursued in the Lightweight Optics Lab, with emphasis on X-ray telescope optics as an example application where ultrafast laser processing is especially promising.

Bio: 

Brandon Chalifoux is an assistant professor of optical sciences and mechanical engineering. He earned his PhD from MIT in 2019, and specializes in optomechanical engineering. He serves as co-chair of the biennial SPIE Optomechanical Engineering conference at Optics and Photonics, and in various roles in the American Society of Precision Engineering.

 

Arya Fatehi, PhD Student 

Title:

Multispectral Fundus Imaging With Fluidic Lens Technology 

Abstract:

A phoropter is traditionally used to evaluate visual acuity and diagnose wavefront errors in the human eye. I present a new phoropter design that incorporates fundus imaging, enabling simultaneous measurement of refractive errors and diagnosis of retinal conditions. Optical modeling across multiple wavelengths was performed to achieve a wide field of view (at least 30 degrees) with high resolution. Fluidic lenses were used as compensators to improve the speed and objectivity.

Bio:

Arya is a recent PhD graduate in optical engineering.

 

Florian Willomitzer, Associate Professor of Optical Sciences

Title: 

Computational 3D Imaging: From Fast and Accurate Industrial Inspection to “Seeing the Unseen”

Abstract:

Computational 3D imaging and 3D display principles are “enabling technologies” with the potential to drive transformative advances in the coming decades.

In this talk, I will highlight selected research activities from the “Computational 3D Imaging and Measurement Lab” (3DIM Lab) at the University of Arizona (https://3dim.optics.arizona.edu/). Topics will include high-speed, single-shot 3D metrology for challenging surfaces, which enables improved industrial inspection of metallic surfaces or novel methods for high-accuracy eye tracking. Moreover, I will present new computational approaches for wavefront sensing and shaping. These methods can support advanced imaging and beam-shaping techniques through turbulence, and they further enable imaging through scattering media—including tissue and fog—using our “Synthetic Wavelength Holography” approach.

Bio:

Florian Willomitzer is an Associate Professor at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences – University of Arizona. He graduated with honors (‘summa cum laude’) from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, in 2017. Prior to joining the University of Arizona in Fall 2022, Willomitzer was a Research Assistant Professor at Northwestern University, where he started his Computational 3D Imaging and Measurement Lab.

Prof. Willomitzer serves/served as Chair and Host of the Optica Incubator on Imaging Through 100 Scattering Lengths, Chair and Committee Member of several Optica COSI conferences, Optics Chair of the 2022 IEEE ICCP conference and Committee member of Optica FiO, DGaO, ICMVA, and SPIE ODS and ODF conferences. He is winner of the Optica 20th Anniversary Challenge, OSA Senior Member, and his Ph.D. thesis was awarded with the Springer Theses Award for Outstanding Ph.D. Research.

 

Parker Liu, PhD Student

Title: 

Lensless Volumetric Fiber Endoscopy in Scattering Media using Synthetic Wavelength Holography

Abstract: 

Optical fiber endoscopy using multi-core fiber bundles has a wide range of applications across fields ranging from medical imaging to industrial inspection. However, traditional endoscopes are mostly limited to acquiring 2D information and cannot acquire information through scattering media, such as additional tissue layer between the fiber tip and the target. To address these challenges, we present a lensless endoscopy approach based on Synthetic Wavelength Holography (SWH). In SWH, two optical fields acquired at closely spaced wavelengths are mixed to assemble a hologram at a longer “synthetic wavelength” which is largely immune to perturbations from scattering media and also from bending of the fiber. Moreover, the hologram allows the recovery of three-dimensional information in a lensless imaging configuration, mitigating the need for additional optics. In this talk, we showcase our prototype SWH fiber endoscope system, demonstrating volumetric 3D imaging of ~500 μm lateral features of objects hidden behind real tissue.

Bio: 

Parker Liu is a Ph.D. candidate at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona. His research is a cross-disciplinary exploration of holography with wavelength multiplexing. From the Optical Engineering perspective, his work focuses on the design and fabrication of Volume Holographic Gratings, with potential applications in AR/VR waveguide systems. On the Computational Imaging side, his research centers on Digital Holography. Currently, he is developing a Synthetic Wave Holography-based approach for fiber endoscope that can be used to image through scattering media. Parker earned both his M.S. (2022) and B.S. (2020) in Optical Sciences and Engineering from the University of Arizona.

 

Jaclyn John, PhD Student, SOC Vice President, OFA Outreach Chair

Title: 

High-Altitude LWIR Spectro-Polarimetric Observations of Ice Clouds

Abstract: 

Ice clouds remain a dominant source of uncertainty in global climate models due to challenges in constraining microphysical properties such as ice water path (IWP). Neglecting polarization effects in retrievals can introduce errors of up to 30%. Long-wave infrared (LWIR) polarimetry is theoretically more sensitive to small ice crystals and low IWP compared to microwave polarimetry, yet no spaceborne instruments currently provide such measurements. To address this gap, we developed the Infrared Channeled Spectro-Polarimeter (IRCSP), which measures linear Stokes parameters across three LWIR wavebands (8.5, 9.5, and 10.5 um). Following an initial high-altitude balloon demonstration in 2021, we deployed the upgraded instrument from Esrange Space Center (Sweden) in July 2024, obtaining more than 300 minutes of near-space observations at 39 km altitude. Thermal management upgrades stabilized focal-plane array temperatures to within +/-0.1C, enabling 164 minutes of observations with improved radiometric accuracy. Observed brightness temperatures ranged from 220–270 K and were compared against MODIS cloud-top retrievals, confirming predominantly ice-phase clouds in the instrument field of view. Channeled polarimetry encodes polarization via a spectrally modulated carrier frequency determined by the IRCSP’s high-order retarder. Using the Lomb–Scargle periodogram, polarization carrier frequencies consistent with the instrument design were detected in 15%, 42%, and 15% of measurements in the water vapor, ozone, and clear-sky bands, respectively. Polarized signals exhibited a preferential horizontal orientation, consistent with scattering models for nonspherical ice particles. Degree-of-linear-polarization (DoLP) values reached up to 27% with relatively large retrieval uncertainties of 13–18%. Trends between DoLP and brightness temperature indicate a polarization peak at intermediate cloud-top temperatures, similar to patterns observed in the microwave band. These results provide the first measurements of LWIR polarized signatures from ice clouds with thermally stable detectors, highlighting both the promise of LWIR polarimetry for cloud property retrievals and the enhanced instrumental precision needed for future satellite missions.

Bio: 

Jaclyn is a 5th year PhD student in the Polarization Lab. She received her B.S in Applied Physics at the University of Arizona in 2021. Her dissertation research focus is in thermal polarimetry for remote sensing applications. She is a NASA FINESST fellow, an Optica Woman Scholar, and an ARCS scholar.

 

Mitul Dey Chowdhury, PhD Student 

Title:

The Invisible Drummer: An Optomechanical Search for Dark Matter

Abstract: 

The nature of dark matter remains a mystery. We perform a search for wave-like ultralight dark matter signals at acoustic frequencies using a cryogenically cooled optomechanical accelerometer (a nanomechanical test-mass coupled to a Fabry-Perot cavity). We find no evidence of a dark matter signal; we outline a path towards greater sensitivity using test-mass optimization and quantum-enhanced sensing.

Bio:

I’m a final-year PhD student in the Quantum Optomechanics Group led by Dal Wilson.

 

Lam T. Nguyen, PhD Student 

Title:

Label-free multiphoton microscopy with a visible femtosecond laser

Abstract:

We present the design and construction of a multi-photon microscope using a home-built green femtosecond laser excitation source. Compared to typical near-infrared excitation sources, visible femtosecond lasers possess substantially higher photon energy, capable of exciting numerous endogenous fluorophores present in biological samples and various materials. In addition, we show that the spatial resolution is improved by two to threefold using the shorter-wavelength visible laser. We demonstrate label-free imaging performance of the microscope, highlighting the capability to detect UV two-photon fluorescence and deep-UV (DUV) second harmonic generation (SHG). Lastly, the system is applied to obtain images of different samples such as cancerous pancreatic tissue and nano-micro plastic in commercial bottled water without any fluorescent stain or marker. 

Bio:

Lam Nguyen is a 4th year PhD student studying nonlinear optics, with a focus on multiphoton microscopy, ultrafast fiber laser, and other applications. He graduated from the Wyant College of Optical Science with a BS as the valedictorian in the class of 2022.

 

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Five-Minute Rapid Fire Presenters

 

Presentation Time	Presenter – First Name	Presenter – Last Name	5-Minute Rapid Fire Presentation Title
1:21 – 1:26 PM	Charlie	Tribble	Near real-time polarization rendering
1:27 – 1:32 PM	Yufei	Gao	Snapshot Division-of-Aperture Spectropolarimeter and Polarization Radiometer
1:33 – 1:38 PM	Isabella	Aguilera Cuenca	Estimation and Comparison of Brainstem Fiber Orientation Via Diffusion MRI Tractography and Polarization Sensitive OCT
1:39 – 1:44 PM	Alana	Gonzales	Optical coherence tomography and elastography for ex vivo visualization of early gastric cancer
1:45 – 1:50 PM	Natalie	Shultz	Automated Optical Tweezers for Large-Scale 3D Nano Assembly
1:51 – 1:56 PM	Jeff	Chen	Pixel matching two MEMS phase light modulators for near-infrared wavefront control
1:57 – 2:02 PM	Zhouxiangru	Yu	Diffraction efficiency of MEMS based phase light modulator designed for visible spectrum used for infrared beam steering applications
2:03 – 2:08 PM	Kyle	Ettinger	Tunable ultra-stable composites and laser interference dilatometry
2:09 – 2:14 PM	Shriniketh	Sreevatsan	Ultrafast Imaging at MHz Burst Rates Using a Digital Micromirror Device
2:15 – 2:20 PM	Walter	Rahmer	Inflatable Optics for Large Space Observatories

 

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Lab Tours

 

Image Science 

Faculty: David Brady
Display Wall
GCRB 275
Presenter: Adel Al-Ghazwi

Faculty: David Brady
Ptychographic Array Cameras 
GCRB 220 
Presenters: Gordon Hageman and Xiao Wang

Faculty: Dongkyun Kang 
Translational Optical Imaging Lab
GCRB 321
Presenter: Kenneth Marcelino 

Faculty: Florian Willomitzer
Computational 3D Imaging and Measurement (3DIM) Lab – Structured Light 3D imaging for Industrial Inspection, Medical Imaging, and AR/VR

GCRB 255
Presenter: Florian Willomitzer

Faculty: Florian Willomitzer
Computational 3D Imaging and Measurement (3DIM) Lab – Synthtetic Wavelength Imaging and Holographic Wavefront Shaping & Sensing

GCRB 260
Presenter: Florian Willomitzer

 

Optical Engineering

Faculty: Yuzuru Takashima 
Takashima Advanced Lidar and Display Lab
GCRB 225 and 235
Presenters: Gregory Nero, Jeff Chen, Tianyao Zhang

Faculty: Yuzuru Takashima 
Takashima Advanced Lidar and Display Lab
GCRB 225 and 235
Presenters: Nathan Queen, Nathan Mclendon, Chuan Luo, Yexin Pei

Faculty: Ronald Driggers
Driggers’ Infrared Group/Demo
GCRB by the picnic benches 
Presenters: Jordan Rubis, Joshua Teague, Angus Hendrick 

Faculty: Brandon Chalifoux
Lightweight Optics Lab
GCRB 015
Presenter: Kyle Ettinger

Faculty: Meredith Kupinski
SKIPS – Polarimetric Imaging Systems 
Meinel 767
Presenter: Jeremy Parkinson

Faculty: Meredith Kupinski
PICKS – Polarimetry for Remote Sensing
Meinel 765
Presenter: Jeremy Parkinson

Faculty: Meredith Kupinski
CHIRP: Channeled Infrared Polarimeter
Meinel 467
Presenter: Jeremy Parkinson

 

Optical Physics 

Faculty: Pavel Polynkin
Ultra-intense and Ultrashort-pulse Laser Laboratory
Meinel 668
Presenter: Jacob Barker

Faculty: R. Jason Jones
Fiber and CW Laser Sources for High-resolution Spectroscopy of Gases and Plasmas
Meinel 656
Presenters: Kelby Todd, Charlie Chisholm, and Ryland Wala

Faculty: Dalziel Wilson
Quantum Optomechanics Lab
MGCRB 070
Presenters: Morgan Choi, Charles Condos

Faculty: Cristian Panda
Quantum Sensing and Metrology 
Meinel 106GH 
Presenter: Cristian Panda 

 

Photonics

Faculty: Xiushan Zhu 
FBG fabrication and mid-IR Fiber Lasers Lab
Meinel 215
Presenter: Jingwei Wu

Faculty: Euan McLeod
Soft Nano-Photonic Systems Laboratory
Meinel 667
Presenter: Natalie Shultz

Faculty: Khanh Kieu 
Multiphoton Microscopy Lab
Meinel 662
Presenter: Khanh Kieu

Faculty: Robert Norwood
Photonics Materials and Devices Lab
Meinel 506 and 506A
Presenter: Matthew Malaker

Faculty: Robert Norwood
Photonic Integrated Circuit Test Lab
Meinel 207 
Presenter: Kyung-Jo Kim 

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