Mark Spencer
Wyant College of Optical Sciences
The University of Arizona
1630 E. University Blvd.
P.O. Box 210094
Tucson, AZ 85721-0094
Documents
Employment History
- University of Arizona, James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences; Tucson, AZ
- Robert M. Edmund Endowed Chair, Optical Sciences; Aug 2025 – Present
- Professor, Optical Sciences; Aug 2025 – Present
- Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; Washington, DC
- Acting Principal Director (Senior Official), Directed Energy; Jan 2025 – Aug 2025
- Director, Joint Directed Energy Transition Office; Apr 2023 – Aug 2025
- U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Science and Technology Division; Oahu, HI
- Directed Energy Staff Specialist; Oct 2020 – Apr 2023
- Air Force Institute of Technology, Department of Engineering Physics; Dayton, OH
- Adjunct Associate Professor, Optical Sciences and Engineering; Mar 2021 – Aug 2025
- Adjunct Assistant Professor, Optical Sciences and Engineering; Mar 2015 – Feb 2021
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy Directorate; Albuquerque, NM
- Senior Research Physicist; Jan 2019 – Oct 2020
- Research Physicist; Jun 2014 – Jan 2019
Education History
- PhD, Optical Sciences and Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, 2014
- MS, Optical Sciences and Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, 2011
- BS, Physics, University of Redlands, 2008
Professional Affiliations
- MSS – Military Sensing Symposia, 2019 – Present
- Active E-O Systems Conference
- Optica – the Society Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, 2010 – Present
- Lifetime Member and Senior Member
- SPIE – the International Society for Optics and Photonics, 2009 – Present
- Lifetime Member and Fellow
- DEPS – Directed Energy Professional Society, 2007 – Present
- Active member
Awards and Honors
- Air Force Institute of Technology Young Alumni Award, 2022
- Joint Civilian Service Achievement Award, 2022
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy Directorate Civilian of the Quarter, 2022
- SPIE Fellow, 2022
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy Directorate Annual Mentorship Award, 2021
- Air Force Research Laboratory Early Career Award, 2020
- Optica Senior Member, 2020
- SPIE Community Champion, 2019 and 2020
- Air Force Scientific Advisory Board Best Presentation, 2019
- Optica Top 200 Journal Referee Appreciation, 2018
- SPIE Rising Researcher Award, 2018
- Air Force Research Laboratory Annual Commander’s Cup Junior Individual Award, 2017
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy Directorate Annual Director’s Cup Junior Force Award, 2017
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy Directorate Annual Mentorship Award, 2016
- SPIE Senior Member, 2016
- Air Force Research Laboratory Scholars Program Outstanding Mentor Award, 2016
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy Directorate Civilian of the Quarter, 2015
- Air Force Institute of Technology Civilian Student of the Year Award, 2013
- Air Force Institute of Technology Civilian Student of the Quarter, 2013
- Air Force Institute of Technology Civilian Student of the Quarter, 2012
- Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship, 2011 – 2014
- DEPS Graduate Scholarship, 2010, 2011, and 2012
- SPIE Scholarship in Optical Sciences and Engineering, 2010 and 2012
- SPIE Scholarship in Optics and Photonics, 2011
- Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute Scholarship, 2009 – 2011
- University of Redlands, Robert D. Engel Award, 2008
Courses
- OPTI 505R Interference and Diffraction
- OPTI 505L Fundamentals of Physical Optics Lab
- OPIT TBD Laser Beam Control and Propagation
- OPTI TBD Computational Wave Optics Lab
Specific Research Focus Areas
- Active electro-optical systems for dual-use applications
- Directed energy
- Lidar
- Free space optical communications
- Space domain awareness
- Inertial confinement fusion
- Unconventional imaging, wavefront sensing, and adaptive optics
- Beam combination and digital holography
- Deep-turbulence and aero-optical effects
- Rough surface scattering and speckle phenomena
Research Summary
Mark Spencer serves as the PI for the Beam Control and Propagation (BCnP) Lab at the University of Arizona within the James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences. This lab focuses on a wide range of research problems that often deal with laser-beam propagation through complex and random media. Specific research focus areas include (1) active electro-optical systems for dual-use applications (e.g., directed energy, lidar, free space optical communications, space domain awareness, inertial confinement fusion, etc.); (2) unconventional imaging, sensing, and adaptive optics; (3) beam combination and digital holography; (4) deep-turbulence and aero-optical effects; and (5) rough surface scattering and speckle phenomena. In support of (1)-(5), the BCnP Lab enables customer-focused collaboration with the Department of War and other government organizations, industry (defense and commercial), and domestic and international universities. Theory, scaling laws, modeling and simulation, experiments, and field tests are all within scope—the BCnP Lab can solve a wide range of basic and applied research problems.
Degrees
- PhD, Optical Sciences and Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, 2014
- MS, Optical Sciences and Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, 2011
- BS, Physics, University of Redlands, 2008