Biographies:
Kim Abair
Director, Global Marketing
Newport-Spectra Physics
http://www.newport.com
Newport Corporation is the leading global supplier of advanced photonics solutions to Make, Manage and Measure Light SM. Our innovative technology portfolio encompasses high-power semiconductor, solid-state and ultrafast lasers, photonics instrumentation, submicron positioning systems, vibration isolation systems, optical components and integrated solutions. Our major markets include scientific research; microelectronics manufacturing; aerospace; defense and security; life and health sciences; and precision industrial manufacturing. Newport has integrated expertise from Spectra-Physics® Lasers, Oriel® Instruments, Richardson Gratings and Corion® Filters, enabling our customers to pioneer new innovations in cutting-edge applications such as ultrafast research, analytical chemistry, genomics, drug development, homeland security and green technologies. Kim has her Masters Degree and has over 21 years of marketing experience. She has been with Newport for 12 years and has experience serving not only the high-tech industry, but also healthcare, non-profit organizations and marketing service agencies. Her term as SPIE’s CEC Chair has just ended, but she remains active with the CEC and other industry organizations.
Stephen Anderson (Co-Chair)
Associate Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Laser Focus World
http://www.laserfocusworld.com
Stephen Anderson, based in Nashua, NH is the Associate Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Laser Focus World magazine. He has been with Laser Focus World for more than thirteen years, during which time he also served as its West Coast Editor. Anderson directs the Annual Review and Forecast of the Laser Marketplace, published by Laser Focus World, which forms the basis of this seminar. He has accumulated more than 25 years of experience in laser and optoelectronics related industries. Before joining PennWell he worked in various marketing and sales positions at Perkin Elmer (UK) and at Spectra-Physics in the UK, Germany, and in the USA. Anderson received his BA degree in chemistry from the University of York, (UK), and his MBA from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, CA.
Dr. Roel Baets
Professor, Photonics Research Group,
Ghent University
http://www.ugent.be/en
Roel Baets received the degree in electrical engineering from Ghent University, Belgium, in 1980. He received the M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1981 and the Ph.D. degree from Ghent University in 1984. Since 1981 he has been with the Department of Information Technology (INTEC) of Ghent University. Since 1989 he is a professor in the engineering faculty of Ghent University. From 1990 till 1994 he has also been a part-time professor at the Technical University of Delft, The Netherlands. Since 2004 he is also part-time professor at the Technical University of Eindhoven. Roel Baets has mainly worked in the field of photonic components. With about 250 journal publications and 500 conference papers as well as about 15 patents he has made contributions to research on semiconductor laser diodes, passive guided wave and grating devices and to the design and fabrication of photonic ICs, both in III-V semiconductors and in silicon. He leads the Photonics Research Group at Ghent University-INTEC (associated lab of IMEC), which focuses on new concepts for photonic components and circuits for optical communication, optical interconnect and optical sensing. He has been involved in various European research projects and has been coordinator of some of them. Currently he coordinates the European Network of Excellence ePIXnet. Roel Baets is a member of the Optical Society of America, IEEE-LEOS, SPIE and the Flemish Engineers Association. He has been member of the program committees of a.o. OFC, ECOC, IEEE Semiconductor Laser Conference, ESSDERC, CLEO-Europe, LEOS Annual Meeting, Photonics Europe and ECIO. He has been chairman of the IEEE-LEOS-Benelux chapter from 1999 to 2001. From 2003 to 2005 he was an elected member of the Board of Governors of IEEE-LEOS. He is a Fellow of the IEEE.
Dr. Radu Barsan
Chairman, President, and CEO
RIO Inc.
http://www.rio-inc.com
Radu Barsan is a seasoned high-tech industry executive and statured technical expert with thirty years of international experience in both the semiconductor and optoelectronics industries. Since 2002 he has been the Chief Executive of Redfern Integrated Optics (RIO) Inc, a Santa Clara, CA, private optical components and sub-systems company developing and commercializing silicon photonics technology aimed at improving the efficiency of energy production and utilization, through high-performance, affordable, optical sensing technologies. Prior to RIO Dr. Barsan held executive and senior technical management positions at optical startup Phaethon Communications, as well as at established public semiconductor companies Cirrus Logic, AMD, and Cypress Semiconductor. He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Sciences from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium. Dr. Barsan has published two books, 40 technical papers, and holds 16 US patents.
Dr. Stephen W. Bland
Consultant
Stephen W. Bland has over 25 years compound semiconductor industry experience in R&D and product management roles within BNR Europe Ltd (now Nortel Networks UK) and IQE (Europe) Ltd. During the 14-years he spent with IQE he was responsible for optimizing MOCVD growth processes for a wide variety of optoelectronic and electronic device structures, and for developing advanced epilayer characterization techniques. During this time he has worked on virtually every type of epitaxially grown device based on III-V alloys of (AlGaIn)(AsP), including high brightness LEDs, visible lasers, AlGaAs lasers, Al-free lasers, VCSELs, multijunction solar cells, MQW thermophotovoltaic cells, AlGaAs HBTs and GaInP HBTs. In 2000 he became Product Manager for AlGaInP-based visible LEDs/Lasers, AlGaInP/GaInAsP aluminum-free lasers, and GaInP HBTs, with responsibility for all aspects of product development and world-wide technical sales. Stephen earned his B.Sc. in Physical Electronics and Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Warwick, Coventry, UK. He has published over 80 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals and conferences. He moved to the USA in 2006 and is currently working as a consultant.
Dr. John E. Bowers
Director of the Energy Efficiency Institute and a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of California, Santa Barbara.
http://www.ece.ucsb.edu/uoeg
John E. Bowers is Director of the Energy Efficiency Institute and a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is also CTO and cofounder of Calient Networks and Chairman of the Board of BioIQ. His research interests are primarily concerned with silicon photonics, optoelectronic devices, optical switching and transparent optical networks. Prof. Bowers is cofounder of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Engineering Management, and founder of Terabit Technology (sold to Ciena). Prof. Bowers received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University. He worked for AT&T Bell Laboratories and Honeywell before joining UCSB. Dr. Bowers is a fellow of the IEEE, OSA and the American Physical Society, and a recipient of the IEEE LEOS William Streifer Award and the South Coast Business and Technology Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He was an elected member of the IEEE LEOS Board of Governors, a LEOS Distinguished Lecturer, and Vice President for Conferences for LEOS. He has published eight book chapters, 450 journal papers, 700 conference papers and has received 52 patents. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He and coworkers received the ACE Award for Most Promising Technology for the hybrid silicon laser in 2007.
Dr. Steven R.J. Brueck
Director, Center of High Technology Materials, Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering & Physics,
University of New Mexico
http://www.chtm.unm.edu
The Center for High Technology Materials at the University of New Mexico maintains leading research programs in advanced semiconductor materials and devices, nanoscale patterning, novel optical materials (metamaterials, plasmonics and photonic crystals) semiconductor sources and detectors, etc. Specific areas of importance to green photonics include photovoltaic cells, GaN-based nanowires and LEDs, nanostructures for light extraction from LEDs, tunable infrared lasers for gas monitoring, advanced optical microscopy and sensing.
Dr. Sylvain Charbonneau
Director, Applications Technologies
Institute for Microstructural Sciences
National Research Council of Canada
http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Sylvain Charbonneau received the Ph.D. degree in semiconductor physics from Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada in 1988. In l988 he joined the Institute for Microstructural Sciences of the National Research Council of Canada. For a period of 10 years, he became involved in a number of research activities within the institute and led such programs as wavelength routing and switching and more exploratory research efforts like the nano-optics project. He has published over 180 papers and has sixteen patents granted or pending in the field of optoelectronics. From 1998 to January 2000, Dr. Charbonneau took on the responsibility of Director of Components Technologies for the Institute for Microstructural Sciences. His responsibilities included components related research and development programs for the Institute as well as the initial development phase of the newly funded Canadian Photonic Fabrication Center (CPFC). Following a brief assignment of 14 months as Chief Technology Officer of a NRC start up company, he returned to the Institute for Microstructural Sciences as the lead Director responsible for the management and operation of the CPFC. He is an Adjunct Professor at three Canadian universities and sits on six national and international Boards of photonics related organizations.
Dr. Finlay Colville
Director of Marketing, Solar
Coherent, Inc.
http://www.Coherent.com/Solar
Dr. Finlay Colville graduated with a BSc. (Hons) in Physics from University of Glasgow in 1990, followed by a Ph.D in Laser Physics at University of St. Andrews in 1995. He joined Coherent in 1999 with responsibility for Sales within the UK and Ireland, moving into regional Sales Management from 2003. In 2006, he became the Director of Marketing for MicroMaterials Processing, and in 2007 Director of Marketing for Solar, focusing specifically on the use of laser systems and processes within the Photovoltaic industry.
Dr. Jason Eichenholz (Co-Chair)
VP, Research and Technology
Ocean Optics
http://www.oceanoptics.com
http://www.halma.com
Ocean Optics is a leading supplier of solutions in optical sensing and spectroscopy. The company's comprehensive line of complementary technologies including miniature spectrometers, chemical sensors, optical fibers, and thin films and optics are used for applications such as environmental monitoring, medical and biological research, and entertainment lighting and displays. Efforts to improve the efficiency of low-power solid state lighting, improve the manufacturability of the next generation of solar panels, and enabling field research in a variety of ecological sciences are several examples of the company's involvement in green photonics. Ocean Optics is part of the global Halma group of safety and detection companies. Dr. Eichenholz is responsible for Ocean Optics' research, technology and product development activities worldwide. Dr. Eichenholz has been actively involved in laser and photonics research and product development for more than 15 years, and has written and delivered over 30 papers at conferences and in refereed journals in the areas of laser and photonics. He is actively involved in both the SPIE and OSA and currently serving on the OSA Board of Meetings
Dr. Felix Ejeckam (Co-Chair)
Co-Founder & CEO
Group4Labs
http://www.group4labs.com
Prior to co-founding Group4 in 2003, Felix spent ten years in the management consultancy and photonics industries where he co-founded and led a VC-backed company. He is an expert in photonics, and materials science. He earned degrees in electrical/computer engineering from Rice, a master's and doctorate in electrical engineering (photonics & materials science) from Cornell.
Dr. Michael Fiddy
Director, Center for Optoelectronics
and Optical Communications
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
http://www.opticscenter.uncc.edu
Michael Fiddy received his Ph.D from the University of London in 1977, and was a post-doc in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at University College London before becoming a faculty member at Kings College, London University in 1979. Dr. Fiddy moved to the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 1987 where he was ECE Department Head from 1994 until 2001. In January 2002 he moved to UNC Charlotte as the founding director of the newly created Center for Optoelectronics and Optical Communications. He has been the editor-in-chief of the journal Waves in Random and Complex Media since 1996, and holds editorial positions with several other academic journals. He was the topical editor for signal and image processing for the journal of the Optical Society of America from 1994 until 2001. He has chaired a number of conferences in his field, and is a fellow of the Optical Society of America, the Institute of Physics and the Society of Photo-Optical Engineers (SPIE). His research interests are in inverse problems and optical information processing.
Dr. David Fyfe
CEO
Cambridge Display Technology, Ltd
http://www.cdtltd.co.uk
Dr David Fyfe has long experience in leading internationally focused commercial businesses and growing them organically, by acquisition, joint ventures and partnerships. In 2000 David became Chairman and CEO of Cambridge Display Technology, a 1992 spinout from Cambridge University developing P-OLED technology. In these positions he grew CDT into a commercial business through a combination of organic growth, acquisition of three complementary technology companies, partnership with a number of predominantly Asian companies and a joint venture with Sumitomo Chemical for P-OLED materials development and commercialisation. He led the company to a listing on Nasdaq in 2004, raised over $120 million in funding in private and public placing and in September 2007 led a merger with Sumitomo Chemical which gave CDT shareholders $285 million in cash.
Peter Guilfoyle
Chairman and President
OptiComp Corporation
http://www.opticomp.com
Chairman and President, Mr. Guilfoyle founded OptiComp in 1987 and has focused the Company's optoelectronic technology towards digital high-speed switching and data processing applications. In addition to designing and fabricating a second generation, 32-bit digital optoelectronic computer (DOC II) which was completed in 1994, Mr. Guilfoyle also developed a High Performance Optoelectronic Computing (HPOC) module system architecture utilizing global (N4), free space optical interconnects. In 1996, 1998 and 2000, the Company won the Roland Tibbetts Award for its ability to foster technology development and transfer it into the marketplace. In addition, Mr. Guilfoyle was awarded the LEOS Distinguished Lecturer Award for 1994/1995. He has been the Principal Investigator on the Massively Parallel Optical Interconnect (MPOI) program since 2000, with programs from the Air Force Research Laboratory, DARPA, MDA, Boeing and the Naval Air Systems Command. He was awarded the Gunnerman Silver State Scientist Award for Excellence in Science and Technology in 2001, and the Nevada Inventor of the Year in 2001. He currently holds 12 patents and has published over 100 technical papers. Mr. Guilfoyle earned a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and a Fellow Member of the Optical Society of America.
Dr. Richard R. Grzybowski
Research Director, Systems Engineering and Program Management, Science & Technology,
Corning, Inc.
http://www.corning.com
Dr. Richard Grzybowski joined Corning in 2000 as manager of Systems Engineering Research for the Manufacturing Research Directorate. Grzybowski was charged with developing a core competency in Systems Engineering process, tools and techniques; teaching them throughout Corning’s early stage research and engineering communities; and deploying these skills on key projects. Systems Engineering had played a key role in many projects, including EPIC™, LID2 and OSMOSIS 2 and OSMOSIS I, a government program led by Grzybowski which enabled Corning to deliver the highest capacity optical packet switch in the world. In 2005, Grzybowski was appointed Research Director, Systems Engineering and Program Management wherein he is responsible for building a team of systems engineers and project leaders executing key research programs. Grzybowski holds 12 patents, over 70 publications and is co-author of the book High Temperature Electronics. Grzybowski serves on the board of directors of the MIT Microphotonics Center, New Heights Dance Theater and on the Council on Competitiveness for High Performance Supercomputing Advisory Board. Dr. Grzybowski graduated from Yale University in 1984, receiving a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1986, receiving a master’s degree in electrical engineering Magna Cum Laude. He was granted a doctorate from the University of Connecticut in electrical engineering in 1993. Prior to joining Corning, Grzybowski spent 20 years at the United Technologies Research Center. Grzybowski also serves as Past President of the Finger Lakes Chapter of INCOSE, and Region IV Membership Board Representative.
David Huff (Co-Chair)
VP, Business Development and Marketing
Clear Align
http://www.clearalign.com
With broad experience in the optoelectronics and RF electronics industries, David, had been consulting on commercial and defense related business development for optoelectronics companies. Recently, he was Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for OIDA in washington, DC. Prior to his work at OIDA, he was Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for T-Networks in Allentown, PA, concluding with a successful merger in 2005. Previously, he was Vice President of Marketing for Multilink Technology Corporation where he was responsible for product strategy and business development, leading to an IPO in 2001. Prior experience included marketing and engineering management assignments in RF fiber optics, wireless communications, and satellite millimeter wave systems. David has an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA and a BSEE from the California Institute of Technology.
Dr. Anthony M. Johnson
Director, Center for Advanced Studies in Photonics Research Professor, Dept. of CSEE, Professor, Dept. of Physics, Deputy Director, NSF MIRTHE Engineering Research Center -
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
http://www.umbc.edu/caspr
http://www.mirthecenter.org
Anthony M. Johnson is the Director of the Center for Advanced Studies in Photonics Research (CASPR) and Professor of Computer Science & Electrical Engineering and Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). Since 2006, he has also been the Deputy Director of the NSF Engineering Research Center MIRTHE (Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environment). He graduated with a B.S. in Physics from the Polytechnic Institute of New York in 1975 and earned a PhD in Physics in 1981 from the City College of the City University of New York. His PhD thesis research was conducted at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ, with support from the Bell Labs Cooperative Research Fellowship Program for Minorities. He was a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff in the Photonic Circuits Research Department at Bell Labs in Holmdel, NJ. He spent 14 years at Bell Labs prior to joining the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1995, where he was Chairperson and Distinguished Professor of Physics until 2003. He assumed his current position at UMBC in August 2003. His current research interests include the ultrafast photophysics and nonlinear optical properties of bulk, nanostructured, and quantum well semiconductor structures, ultrashort pulse propagation in fibers and high-speed lightwave systems. Some of Dr. Johnson’s professional activities include 2002 President of the Optical Society of America (OSA); Editor-in-Chief of the Journal Optics Letters (95-01); 1990 Program Co-Chair, 1992 Conference Co-Chair and 1996 Steering Committee Chair of the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO); elected member of the IEEE LEOS Board of Governors (93-95); elected General Councillor (94-97) and member of the Executive Board of the American Physical Society [APS] (96-97) member of the Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics (02-06); member of the DOE Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee [BESAC] (99-07); member of the IEEE LEOS Fellows Evaluation Committee (05-08). Dr. Johnson is a Fellow of the APS, IEEE, OSA, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP).
Dr. Gareth Jones
Chief Technology Officer
Enfis Ltd.
http://www.enfis.com
Dr Gareth Jones is Chief Technology Officer at Enfis Group plc. Enfis is a leader in the design and manufacture of intelligent high power LED arrays and smart light engines. The products combine the numerous advantages of LEDs as a light source with our patent-pending SMART array feedback technology for use in a growing number of energy efficient lighting applications. Enfis has developed market ready arrays and light engines for entertainment, architectural, retail and medical lighting markets, and also for medical, dental and industrial applications. Enfis provides cost-effective LED array solutions or fully integrated light engines to meet the needs of our customers. Gareth received a BSc degree (1st class) in physics with optoelectronics from the University of Surrey in 1990 and a PhD degree in semiconductor physics also from University of Surrey in 1994. Gareth has 20 years experience in the technology of semiconductor based optoelectronic components such as laser diodes and high brightness LEDs and has published a number of papers in peer reviewed journals and presented at numerous international conferences. He has lectured physics whilst in the University of Surrey. He is currently representing Lighting and Energy in the UK Photonics Leadership Group (PLG) a key body reporting to the UK government and an advisory board member of the UK Displays and Lighting Knowledge Transfer Network. In the past, he has served as advisor on UK panels concerned with the photonics and semiconductor industry and its links with academia. He has talk at numerous international conferences and is a named inventor on several patents. He has previously represented the UK on a LED technology mission to Japan. Gareth is a Member of the IEEE, Lasers and Electro-Optics Society and business member of IEE, and the Institute of Directors (IoD).
Dr. Alan Kost
Associate Research Professor of Optical Sciences
College of Optical Sciences
University of Arizona
http://www.optics.arizona.edu
Alan Kost began his career in photovoltaics, investigating the use of plasmas to passivate grain boundaries in polycrystalline GaAs solar cells. For the past 18 years, Dr. Kost has been a consultant for JLN Solar, a solar cell company in Northern California developing CuInGaSe thin-film solar cells. Recently, Dr. Kost has been investigating the use of nano-engineered materials for very-high efficiency solar cells.
Dr. Petros A. Kotidis (Co-Chair)
CEO
Block Engineering, LLC
http://www.blockeng.com
Dr. Kotidis has been in the high-tech photonic sensing industry for more than twenty years and has introduced numerous optoelectronic products for industrial, environmental and telecommunications applications. He is currently the CEO of Block Engineering, an infrared spectroscopy company in the remote and point chemical sensing markets, specializing in microelectromechanical and laser based sensors. Dr. Kotidis was the VP of Marketing and Business Development at Axsun Technologies, a high-tech start-up with miniature sensors for spectroscopic applications. Prior to Axsun, he directed strategic mergers/acquisitions and commercialization of new photonic products at Nortel Networks, an optical telecommunications industry leader, and at Textron, an industrial conglomerate. Earlier in his career, he was a Principal Research Scientist at AVCO Research Laboratory. Dr. Kotidis has Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Aeronautics from MIT, where he also minored at the Sloan School of Management, and a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens. He has been awarded 24 patents in MEMS, spectroscopic devices and industrial process control sensors.
Dr. Fred Leonberger
Senior Advisor
MIT Center for Integrated Photonic Systems
http://cips.mit.edu
Fred J. Leonberger served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of JDS Uniphase Corporation, a leading optical components supplier, from 1999 until his retirement in June 2003. He previously held a similar position at Uniphase Corporation prior to its merger with JDS Fitel in 1999. He joined Uniphase in 1995 upon its acquisition of UTP, a company he co-founded and served as General Manager. He has been active in optoelectronics for over 25 years, and has also held a variety of staff and management positions at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and United Technologies Research Center. He presently is the Principal of EOvation Technologies LLC, a technology advisory firm, and serves on the Board of Directors of RF MicroDevices, Inc. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
Dr. Xiaonan Li
Senior Scientist
NREL
http://www.nrel.gov
Dr. Xiaonan Li is a Senior Scientist in the National Center for Photovoltaics at the National Renewable Laboratory in Golden, where she was worked since 1991. Dr. Xiaonan Li has more than 20 years work experience on the thin-film deposition, back contact formation, photolithograph processing, and electr-optical device developing in the National Laboratory. Dr. Li’s world record ITO/InP space solar cells had been flown on the NASA’s satellite. Her primary focus has been on the development and application of the alternative transparent conducting oxides (TCO) for photovoltaic devices. Dr. Xiaonan Li is one of the pioneers that have successfully demonstrated the p-type ZnO by using nitrogen as dopant. Her experience in TCO materials including n-type Sn2O, ZnO, CdO, Cd2SnO4, ZnMgO, and p-type ZnO. She has published and presented over 90 papers. Dr. Xiaonan Li received her bachelor’s degree in physics in 1982 from Wuhan University in China. She did her doctoral research work at the National Renewable Laboratory and received her Ph. D degree in Applied Physics from Colorado School of Mines in 1990. Dr. Xiaonan Li can be reached at the National Center for Photovoltaics at National Renewable Energy Laboratory; tel. 303-384-6428, fax 303-384-6430, and e-mail xiaonan_li@nrel.gov.
David Mintzer
Oakland, CA
David has more than 22 years in optoelectronics in progressive roles from Engineering, Applications Engineering, Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions, Strategic Marketing to Executive Management in the areas of photovolatics, telecommunications and bio-medicine. He holds several patents in the field of high-power optics for use in laser beam conditioning currently integrated by photovoltaic module manufacturers, Worldwide. David has been with JDS Uniphase for six years and most recently built an infrastructure to lead the Commercial Laser Division into the Solar segment. Before joining JDSU, David began his Engineering career at Newport Corporation and later held positions in Sales and Business development for several of the world’s largest Telecommunications component manufacturers such as Lucent Microelectronics and Agere Systems. David’s goal is to address the growing and critical role that photonics is playing in global efforts to "live green" and looking for new, meaningful challenges by contributing directly to changing the way energy is produced.
Dr. Nada O'Brien
Business Development Manager
JDS Uniphase Corporation
http://www.jdsu.com
Nada O'Brien started her career at Optical Coating Laboratory (OCLI) in 1993 where she led efforts in electrochromics technology for smart windows and switchable eyewear. When OCLI was acquired by JDS Uniphase in 2000, she led product development activities in thin films for telecommunications, digital imaging, and display. In 2005, she joined NanoOpto Corporation as Vice President of Product Development working on subwavelength gratings for display and remote sending applications until the acquisition by API Nanotronics. She has rejoined JDSU in 2007 as Business Development Manager in the Advanced Optical Technologies group. She has published and presented over 20 papers at conferences and in refereed journals. She is an inventor on 6 patents. Nada earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.
Dr. Anders Olsson
AVA Solar
http://www.avasolar.com
N. Anders Olsson is the Senior Vice President for Research and Development at AVA Solar Inc. Prior to joining AVA Solar in April 2008, Anders held a number of executive positions in the optical component and optical communications industry; SVP Engineering at Finisar Corp, President and CEO at Photon-X Inc, COO, CTO and founder at CENIX Inc. During an 18 year career at AT&T Bell Laboratories and Lucent Technologies, he held a number of positions; the first in basic research and the last as VP and GM of Lucent Technologies Optoelectronics Division. Anders has published approximately 150 journal papers, 70 conference talks and has more than 10 patents in the field of optical components and systems. Prior to receiving his PhD from Cornell University in 1982, he worked in oil exploration for Schlumberger Overseas SA in the Far East region.
Paul Sanders (Co-Chair)
Partner
QOREX, LLC
http://www.qorexllc.com
Paul E. Sanders is founding partner of QOREX LLC, a consulting and IP development firm with expertise in fiber optic sensors. He has over 25 years fiber optics industry experience in technical, product management, and business development roles with 3M and Uniphase. Over the past 10-years he has been involved in downhole oil and gas sensing with CiDRA Corporation and then Weatherford International. QOREX advises clients on the design and integration of advanced downhole sensing systems that enable intelligent well technology to maximize oil recovery and optimize production. Recently this technology has been applied in the heavy oil sector to increase efficiencies of thermal recovery processes, resulting in significant reduction of carbon emissions and land/water use. These high temperature sensors are also being positioned to support upcoming critical geothermal well monitoring. Mr. Sanders earned a BS in Chemistry and is a member OSA. Paul is a frequent invited speaker at technical and business conferences, and has published over 25 technical articles and is inventor on 27 patents.
Gildas Sorin
CEO
Novaled
http://www.novaled.com
Gildas Sorin, CEO at Novaled AG since August 2003, maintains overall responsibility for leading the company and its business growth worldwide. Previously he was with Philips Electronics for five years as vice president of the Display Division and, in parallel, general manager of the Philips Plasma Displays group. Prior to that, he served at Thomson Multimedia for 20 years in various executive and management roles, including president of Thomson Plasma and Thomson LCD, director of the joint venture Thomson / ST Microelectronics and general manager of Thomson strategic sourcing, and deputy general manager of the worldwide Thomson R&D organization. He moved to Germany in 1981 to head Thomson’s European sourcing activities. Mr. Sorin attended Thomson University and holds a degree in senior management.
Peter Singer (Co-Chair)
Editor-in-Chief of Solid State Technology
PennWell Corporation
http://www.pennwell.com
Peter Singer has been covering the semiconductor and related industries for more than 26 years. Now Editor-in-Chief of Small Times and Solid State Technology, he was previously with Semiconductor International. He has authored more than 200 articles on all aspects of semiconductor manufacturing and related industries, including optoelectronics, photonics and photovoltaics. He has a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.
Dr. Ulrich Steegmueller
Senior Manager, Application Engineering
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors Inc.
http://www.osram.com/osram_com
Ulrich Steegmueller is the Manager of LED/IR Applications Engineering for NAFTA Markets for OSRAM Opto Semiconductors Inc. In this position, Mr. Steegmueller and his team of engineers are responsible for developing applications with visible and infrared LED, sensors and lasers for various markets to include general illumination, automotive, mobile communication, industrial and consumer. Mr. Steegmueller previously held the position of Program Manager of all visible laser activities at OSRAM and has over 10 years of experience in the research and development of optical sensors, infrared components and high power lasers. Mr. Steegmueller was awarded a degree in Physics from the University of Stuttgart, Germany and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University Goettingen, Germany. He is the author of a number of scientific papers and currently holds six patents. He was project manager in national funded research projects and networks.
Dr. Jeffrey Y. Tsao
Principal Member of the Technical Staff
Sandia National Laboratories
http://www.sandia.gov/~jytsao
Jeff is a principal member of technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories, where his work involves integrated science, technology and economic modeling in solid-state lighting and other areas. He is also exploring embedded-network models of the evolution of society-wide technical knowledge - an emerging approach to the field of "evolutionary epistemology." Jeff has held a number of research, management and teaching positions during his career, at: Sandia National Laboratories, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Basic Energy Sciences, the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering in Singapore, a pre-IPO start-up (E2O Communications), and MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Jeff's Ph.D is from Harvard University (applied physics) and his B.A. and M.S. are from Stanford (mathematics and electrical engineering). Jeff has authored or co-authored over 150 publications, holds 8 U.S. patents, and is author of the research monograph "Materials Fundamentals of Molecular Beam Epitaxy." He co-authored an influential 1999 white paper outlining the potential of solid-state lighting, and edited the comprehensive 2002 U.S. Solid-State Lighting Roadmap. He helped the Office of Basic Energy Science coordinate two recent workshops and reports: one in 2005 on "Basic Research Needs in Solar Energy Utilization," and another in 2006 on "Basic Research Needs in Solid-State Lighting." Jeff has been active in various professional societies, including the Materials Research Society, for which he helped chair a number of symposia and meetings. He was elected Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1996.
Dr. Dhrupad Trivedi
Vice President and General Manager,
Transmission Business Unit
JDSU
http://www.jdsu.com
Dhrupad Trivedi is currently responsible for the transmission business in JDSU which includes datacom and telecom products. Prior to this, he held other roles at JDSU including corporate development, product line management and general management. Dr. Trivedi holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Duke University.
Dr. Robert C. Walker
Principal
Sierra Ventures
http://www.sierraventures.com
Robert C. Walker, Ph.D., is a Principal at Sierra Ventures, a private venture capital firm that manages nine venture capital partnerships which together have more than $1.5 billion of committed capital. Current investments include companies based in the United States, Canada, China and India. Dr. Walker focuses on investments in solid state lighting, displays, clean technology, solar energy and semiconductors. Prior to Sierra he was CEO of BridgeLux, a high power LED lighting company, from 2005-2007, and served on its Board of Directors from 2004. In 2003 Dr. Walker founded YEBY Associates, a Silicon Valley-based consultancy specializing in the Solid State Lighting industry, and continues to serve as a Principal there. From 2001-2004 he was Managing Director-USA of Vincera Ventures, a US$150M venture capital fund based in Taiwan with several investments in the areas of LEDs and compound semiconductors. During his 8 years at EMCORE Corporation, a leading provider of MOCVD equipment to the compound semiconductor industry, he held a variety of sales and marketing positions, including General Manager, Pacific Rim. Prior to joining the compound semiconductor industry, Dr. Walker spent 10 years conducting high energy physics research, including several years living in Japan. He is an author of the paper announcing the discovery of the "Top" quark, one of the fundamental particles of nature. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from Caltech in 1989 and a triple major in math, physics and computer engineering from the University of Wisconsin– Madison in 1984. He has traveled extensively throughout the Pacific Rim region, and has been involved with the HB LED industry in Taiwan, Korea and China since its inception.
Phillip Wright
Managing Director
WRT Associates, LLC
http://wrtassoc.com
Phillip Wright, Ph.D. is an experienced technical executive with an extensive background in semiconductor, electronic, optical, display and optoelectronic technology development leading to new products and businesses. Since 2002, Dr. Wright has served as an independent consultant to US and European businesses in the areas of market analysis, business development, and commercialization of new products and technologies. He has also served as Consultant and Analyst with the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA) since 2007. Previously, Dr. Wright managed display technology development at Motorola. Prior to Motorola, Dr. Wright was Co-Founder and Director of Process Development of Lytel Incorporated (later acuired by AMP, Inc). Dr. Wright began his career in development at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill. He received his BS degree in Engineering from Purdue University, and the MS and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois.
Dr. S. J. Ben Yoo
Professor and Director
CITRIS, UCDavis
http://sierra.ece.ucdavis.edu
http://www.citris-uc.org
S. J. Ben Yoo is Professor of Electrical Engineering at University of California at Davis (UC Davis http://sierra.ece.ucdavis.edu/) and Director of UC Davis CITRIS (Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society http://www.citris-uc.org/ ). His research at UC Davis includes power-efficient and high-performance optical networking and computing systems. Prior to joining UC Davis in 1999, he was a Senior Research Scientist at Bell Communications Research (Bellcore: 1991-1999). His research activities at Bellcore included optical-label switching for the Next Generation Internet, power transients in reconfigurable optical networks, wavelength interchanging cross-connects, wavelength converters, vertical cavity lasers, and high-speed modulators. He also participated in the ATD/MONET systems integration, the OC-192 SONET Ring studies, and a number of standardization activities. Prior to joining Bellcore in 1991, Prof. Yoo conducted research at Stanford University on nonlinear optical processes in quantum wells, four-wave mixing study of relaxation mechanisms in dye molecules, and ultra-fast diffusion driven photodetectors. During this period, he also conducted research on life-time measurements of intersubband transitions and on nonlinear optical storage mechanisms at Bell Laboratories and at IBM research Laboratories, respectively. Prof. Yoo received the B.S., the M.S, and the Ph.D. in Electrical Engineerin, all from Stanford University. Prof. Yoo is a Fellow of IEEE Lasers & Electro-Optics Society (LEOS), a Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA), and a Member of Tau Beta Pi. He is a recipient of the DARPA Award for Sustained Excellence in 1997, the Bellcore CEO Award in 1998, and the Mid-Career Research Faculty Award (UC Davis) in 2004.
Dr. Yong-Hang Zhang (Co-Chair)
Director, Center of Nanophotonics
Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering
Arizona State University
http://asumbe.eas.asu.edu
Dr. Yong-Hang Zhang is a professor in the Electrical Engineering Department and the founding director of the Center for Nanophotonics in the Arizona Institute of Nanoelectronics at Arizona State University. The center consists of 12 faculty members and 15 affiliated faculty members from three different schools and 7 departments. The center has two on-going MURI programs and many other programs supported by AFOSR, DARPA, AFRL, SFAz, and NSF. His current areas of research interest include ultra-high efficiency multi-junction solar cells, semiconductor lasers and photodetectors, optical properties of semiconductor quantum structures, molecular-beam epitaxy, and their applications. Since Dr. Zhang joined the faculty as an Associate Professor in 1996 from Hughes Research Laboratories, he has successfully managed several multi-million dollar programs funded by DARPA, AFOSR, and the semiconductor industry. He was promoted to full professor in 2000. In 2001 to 2003, he was on-leave from ASU to found a start-up, Lytek Corporation. He acted as the Chairman of the Board, CEO, and President and raised total of $6.3 million in two rounds from Intel Capital, Wasatch Venture Funds, Silicon Valley Bank, and individual investors. Dr. Zhang received his BS and MS in China. He did his doctoral research work at the Max Planck Institute for Solid States and received his Dr. rer. nat. degree in Physics from the University of Stuttgart in 1991. He then worked as a Postdoctoral Assistant Research Engineer at UCSB for less than two years before he joined Hughes Research Labs in 1993. More information about his group can be found on the following website: http://asumbe.eas.asu.edu/.
