Galaxy Slam Week

 

 

As part of this year’s Galaxy Slam features, we’re excited to highlight Professor Daewook Kim, a leading optical scientist whose work has advanced some of the most ambitious astronomical projects of our time. Dr. Kim is a professor of optical sciences and astronomy at the University of Arizona, with more than 15 years of experience contributing to major initiatives including NASA’s Aspera UV space telescope mission, the 25‑meter Giant Magellan Telescope, and cutting‑edge augmented reality optics. His research spans precision freeform optics design, large‑scale optics fabrication, advanced metrology, and open‑source data visualization tools. A widely respected leader in the field, Dr. Kim has published over 200 papers, served as an Optics Express associate editor, chaired international conference programs, and is a Fellow of SPIE.

 

Dr. Kim also leads the Large Optics Fabrication and Testing (LOFT) Group, a team of faculty, staff, and students developing cutting‑edge technologies for fabricating and testing large optical components. Their work is closely integrated with major hardware efforts at the Optical Engineering and Fabrication Facility (OEFF) and the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab (RFCML). This unique collaboration allows LOFT researchers to take ideas from concept to prototype to full‑scale implementation—making significant contributions to new astronomical telescopes and advanced optical instruments.