Résumé

Professor Blanche received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Liege (Belgium) in 1999 in the field of non-linear optics and holography (thesis pdf). He then held a post-doctoral position at the University of Arizona where he developed new refreshable holographic recording materials called photorefractive polymers. Back in Belgium, he co-founded a company manufacturing large volume phase gratings for the optics industry, astronomers, and space applications. Professor Blanche returned to the University of Arizona in 2006 where he is currently a Research Professor. Professor Blanche has more than 70 publications in high ranking scientific journals, has participated to more than 60 international conferences, is author of 12 books or book chapters, and has been granted 10 patents (3 pending). His fields of interest are diffraction optics, holography, 3D and see through displays (AR/HUD), as well as non-linear and photonic materials. Dr Blanche is a Fellow of Optica (formerly OSA), and life member of SPIE.

Experience

  • 2007 – Present
    Research Professor at the College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona (2007 Researcher Associate, 2008 Assistant Research Scientist, 2009 Assistant Research Professor, 2014 Associate Research Professor, 2017 Research Professor).
    See relevant project here.
  • 2009 – 2013, 2016 – 2018, 2020 – Present
    Project Manager at TIPD LLC for the development of the holographic 3D Display technology, and other diffraction based systems.
  • 2019 – Present
    Chief Scientist at eARdg Photonics, Inc. Responsible for the development of holographic combiners for augmented reality glasses.
  • 2018 – 2020
    Senior Laser Specialist at NP Photonics.
    Responsible for the development of specialty fiber lasers.
  • 2006
    Space Instrumentation Specialist at the Centre Spatial de Liège, University of Liège.
    Design of space instruments. Phase Conjugating Mirror (PI: Thales instrumentation), breadboard qualification (pdf). Experimental Solar Panel (sun concentrator), accelerated thermal cycling responsible. KuaFu, MOSES/CDI/EDI instruments interface, image stabilization for satellite pointing and jitter compensation.
  • 2005 – 2010
    ATHOL Co-Founder and Scientific Adviser.
    Disperser for astronomic spectrometer, combiner for head up display, laser stretcher, industrial spectrometer. Projects: MUSE (VLT), Codex (OWL/ELT), VIMOS (VLT/Melipal), WIYN (NOAO), Eldim (Fr), OSIRIS (Grantecan).
  • 2001 – 2005
    Project manager at the Centre Spatial de Liège, University of Liège.
    Volume phase holographic gratings as disperser for astronomic spectrometer, combiner for head up display, laser stretcher, industrial spectrometer. Rigorous coupled wave analysis. Holographic mirrors. Holographic optical elements. Cryogenic/interferometric testing. Quality control. Facility manager. Staff manager. Customer service (ESO, NOAO, University of Michigan, ENO, RSAA, Anglo Australian Observatory, and others), CodeV. Start-up creation (see ATHOL).
  • 2000
    Research Associate at the University of Arizona, Optical Sciences Center.
    First time demonstration of photorefractivity in polymers by two-photon absorption (Optics Letters). Femtosecond spectroscopic characterization of semi and supraconductors (Physical Review Letters). Contribution: Pulsed laser (femtosecond, frequency conversion, OPO, OPA, ), multi-photon spectroscopy, non-linear optics, holography, photorefractivity, polymer and organic compounds, semi and supraconductor compounds, LabView.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Physics (Optics) with the greatest distinction at the Centre Spatial de Liège, 1999. Thesis about the “Experimental and theoretical study of the molecular photo-orientation of azo dyes in polymer matrices (pdf in French). Self-developing media for holographic recording. Contribution: Non-linear optics, holography, photorefractivity, polymer and organic compounds, Clean room facility, LaTeX, IDL, machine shop.
  • Bachelor of Science in Physics at the University of Liège, Belgium, 1994. Thesis carried out in the Experimental Nuclear Physics Institute about the Neon deep electronic structure studied by beam-foil spectroscopy. Contribution: Laser engineering, vacuum engineering, automate programming, and theoretical and experimental spectroscopy.

Miscellaneous

  • Optica Fellow.
  • Author or co-author of more than 30 peers reviewed papers published in international journals (Nature, Optics Communication, Optics Letters, JOSA B, Optical Engineering and others). See the articles.
  • Participant of more than 30 international conferences. See the conferences.
  • Reviewer for scientific journals: Optics Express, Macromolecules, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Applied Optics, Journal of Optical Materials, Optics Communication, Journal of Polymer Science: Polymer Physics, Nature.
  • Editorial Board Member for Scientific Reports.  http://www.nature.com/srep/index.html
  • Reviewer for NSF programs (PFI:AIR, CAREER, IUCRC), and foreign scientific agencies (Canada, Switzerland, Croatia).
  • 5 Patents (link)
  • 7 Books or book chapters (link)
  • Publication chair of the IEEE OnlineGreenComm 2014 conference. (http://www.ieee-onlinegreencomm.org/index.html)
  • Elected member of the University of Arizona Appointed Professional Advisory Council (APAC) since 2010. Elected Secretary in 2012. Faculty Senate APAC voting member in 2013.(http://apac.arizona.edu/)
  • Chair of the 2014 College of Optical Sciences Faculty Task Force on Undergraduate.