When
Where
Title
Optical Sciences from the Benchtop to the Fleet
Abstract
Dr. Abbie Watnik will discuss both personal and technical aspects of being an Optical Physicist for the US Naval Research Laboratory as a civilian government scientist. She will highlight exciting ongoing diverse work in optics at NRL – from optical materials, fibers, integrated photonics, quantum optics, semiconductor lasers, laser-based imaging and sensing, to computational imaging. Dr. Watnik will also discuss her personal career trajectory, highlighting pivotal milestones, including the transition from securing her first funded proposal to directing large-scale teams and securing critical resources.
Bio
Dr. Abbie T. Watnik is Head of the Optical Physics Branch in the Optical Sciences Division at the Naval Research Laboratory. Dr. Watnik manages personnel and programs within a diverse research portfolio of basic and applied optical physics, with topics in optical nanomaterials, laser-based imaging and sensing, quantum optics and semiconductor optoelectronics. Dr. Watnik received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Colorado State University and a MS and PhD in Optics from the University of Rochester. Dr. Watnik serves various roles in the optics community including the Military Sensing Symposium Active Electro-Optics 2027 Vice Chair and the 2027 International Conference on Computational Photography (ICCP) Co-Chair. Dr. Watnik is a Fellow of Optica and current sits on the Optica Board of Directors.