Current Position: Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Kansas

Alessandro conducts research in Optics and Photonics, teaches, and mentors students. He has 3 PhD students.

Prior to this position, Alessandro was a Post-Doc at the University of California Berkeley.

He is a member of OSA, SPIE, and IEEE.

Current Position: Distinguished member of the Technical Staff at Verizon Communications

Tiejun is responsible for technology development with Verizon's network planning organization. He studies, verifies, and tests new technologies relevant to Verizon, conducting lab experiments and field trials. He works with vendors to develop new technologies for use in future Verizon networks. Previously, Tiejun was the Director of Advance Technology development for Chorum Technologies, then moved to MCI, which became Verizon.

Tiejun holds a leadership position in IEEE's Dallas local chapter.

Major Achievements-Regarded as the industry leader in high speed, high capacity flexible networks. Holds the record for highest capacity fiber system deployed in the field. Also holds 88 patents and is a leader in innovation for Verizon and recently wrote a book, "How To Inspire Outstanding Ideas."

Current Position: Regents’ Researcher, Associate Vice President Research, Faculty Integration, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Gisele Bennett is a Regents’ Researcher, an Associate Vice President for Research, Faculty Integration, and a Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). She is the Glenn Robinson Chair in Electro-Optics at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). She founded the Logistics and Maintenance Applied Research Center (LandMARC), a multi-disciplinary center at the Georgia Tech.  As the former director of the Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory (EOSL), she managed a group of up to 168 researchers, scientists, and students in a diverse applied research environment. EOSL has up to a $50M diverse research portfolio with an operating budget of $4.5 M.
Dr. Bennett is a member of the Army Science Board. She is a Fellow in the Optical Society (OSA) and SPIE (International Society for Optics and Photonics), a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). She holds officer positions in OSA and IEEE and serves in a variety of professional activities involving optical engineering research. She has been a topical and is a feature editor for Applied Optics.  She is one of the first ten fellows chosen for Georgia Tech’s University Leadership program. She has over 130 publications in books or book chapters, refereed journals, technical reports, and workshops.

Current Position-Manager, R&D Measurement & Inspection Equipment at Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

The role of the Measurement & Inspection Equipment Manager is to lead a team of engineers and technicians in the development, validation, and transfer of measurement and inspection equipment and processes in support of new intraocular lens and delivery systems products, as well as process improvements in support of intraocular lens and delivery system production.

Current Position: Research Scientist at Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa, Florida

I am a Research Scientist at the Florida Solar Energy Center, a UCF research center located at Cocoa Florida. Although UCF is my current employer, I am an UCF assignee to the U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium or U.S. PVMC (www.uspvmc.org), an industry an industry-led consortium for cooperative R&D among industry, university, and government partners. The consortium main objective is to accelerate the transition of new technologies into mainstream manufacturing. As the crystalline Silicon Feedstock & Wafering program manager, my main responsibilities within the consortium are to take the lead in launching and coordinating collaborative R&D projects under the program, organizing workshops, establishing strong partnership with industry leaders, and assembling teams to go after new opportunities and funding. Being involved with the consortium has allowed to work with some of the most talented individuals in the industry. Furthermore, I also work on research projects outside the consortium with the university.

How an Education from the College of Optics and Photonics has helped his career:

My education at CREOL has helped me in many ways. The unique curriculum provided me with the technical knowledge to work in the photovoltaic field where optics and the physics of semiconductors play a big role. The labs and equipment provided me with valuable hands-on experience. The regular high-quality seminars and discussion with talented scientist/faculty have helped me become a better and more rounded scientist.

Advice for Graduate students:

Be open-minded and adaptable. Ask a lot of questions. Attend as many seminars as possible. Seek to understand not just what/how but also why. Do not take anything for granted. Strive to be exposed to as many tools as possible (lab equipment, modeling tools, softwares, etc.)

Current Position: Product Engineer III at Research Electro-Optics, Inc. (REO) –

I am the primary technical interface for any of our customers, who has an idea that exceeds the standard of what we do here at REO.  In my short time here at REO I have worked development opportunities for the defense, semiconductor, and entertainment industries.  Before working at REO, I spent seven years with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Orlando, FL, as a Optical Engineer for the Apache Fire Control Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS).  While at Lockheed, I was able to develop my skills as an optical designer and EO system integrator.  During my tenure at Lockheed, I was able to complete my master’s degree at CREOL, graduating in 2012.  My introduction to the optical world started at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, graduating in 2007 with my bachelor’s degree in 2007. 

Current Position: Electronics Engineer at Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD)

Modeling and Simulation Division; Modeling and Measurement Services Branch
• Technical lead of advance sensor evaluation facility (ASEF).
• Improved accuracy of standard imaging system measurement procedures (MTF, FOV, 3D Noise, spectral response)
• Developed VIS, NIR, and SWIR systems measurement capabilities
• Developed time constant and integration measurement capabilities
• Derived algorithms for NVLabCap measurement software
Modeling and Simulation Division; Sensor Performance Branch
Work included:
• Furthered NVESD models to include degradation of human performance in the presence of aliasing in sampled imagers
• Analyzed human performance in response color stimuli
• Assessed robustness of iris recognition algorithms through simulated camera degradations

How an Education from the College of Optics and Photonics has helped his career:

I am satisfied with how CREOL has prepared me.  Although my work is far from my dissertation research, the core classes provided me with a very solid foundation for future study.  More than anything, CREOL taught me how to systematically approach research questions, allowing me to find the solution quickly and accurately.

Advice for Graduate students:

My best advice would be to maintain the relationships with the faculty and their fellow students.  Diversify their experience by taking all the lab courses and try to collaborate outside their group whenever possible.  Invite others into their lab and explain their experiments, difficulties, and methods.

Current Position: Director of Engineering at Lumentum (formerly JDSU)

Mike manages the company's development of kilowatt class lasers for the global $2B laser cutting and welding market. Builds the R&D team and insures the success of major product development programs. Works closely with product line managers and product marketing managers to drive the technology and product roadmaps for the kilowatt laser business segment. Manages and tracks the execution of milestones through the formal product development process (PDP), including product variants (PV) and new product introduction (NPI). Manages OpEx and CapEx budgets. He manages a team of 16 employees.

Other recent positions he has held include Program Manager, Micro Processing at TRUMPF, Inc. and Chief Scientist at Raydiance.

Professional Society Involvement:

• Senior Member of OSA
• Senior Member of SPIE
• Member of IEEE Photonics Society
• Program Chair, CLEO Applications & Technology Committee
• Mentor, The Innovation School, Washington, DC
• Member of CLEO Joint Council on Applications
• Member of CLEO Steering Committee
• Chair of the Optical Society of America (OSA) Public Policy Committee
• Associate Editor, IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics
• David Richardson Medal Committee
• Judge-OSA Enabled by Optics contest
• Member of OSA Industry Development Associates Committee
• Industrial Advisory Board, College of Optics & Photonics, UCF
• Judge-Start-Up Challenge, SPIE Photonics West
• SPIE Photonics West Program Committee on Frontiers in Ultrafast Optics: Biomedical, Scientific, and Industrial Applications
• Laser Microprocessing Committee, International Congress on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics (ICALEO)
• Committee on Non-Linear and Ultrafast Optics (NLUO), IEEE Photonics Society
• Guest Entrepreneur at University of California Entrepreneurship Academy, Sacramento, CA

Current Position: CTO at Clark-MXR

Edesly oversees the technology growth and direction of the company, defines and manages all R&D activities, and supports others in the management team. He manages a team of 15 employees.

Edesly previously held a position as President of the Laser Division.

He is a member of LIA, Mi-Light, MRS, and SPIE.