Dist. Prof. Dr. Robert R. Alfano, Distinguished Professor of Science and Engineering, Departments of Physics and Electrical Engineering, Director and founder , CUNY Institute for Ultrafast Spectroscopy and Lasers (IUSL), The City College of New York, 160 Convent Ave, Room MR 201, New York, NY 10031 Robert Alfano is an Italian-American experimental physicist. He is a Distinguished Professor of Science and Engineering at the City College and Graduate School of New York of the City University of New York, where he is also the founding Director of the Institute for Ultrafast Spectroscopy and Lasers (1982). He is a pioneer in the fields of Biomedical Imaging and Spectroscopy, Ultrafast lasers and optics, tunable lasers, semiconductor materials and devices, optical materials, biophysics, nonlinear optics and photonics; he has also worked extensively in nanotechnology and coherent backscattering. His discovery of the white-light supercontinuum laser is at the root of optical coherence tomography, which is breaking barriers in ophthalmology, cardiology, and oral cancer detection (see "Better resolution with multibeam OCT," page 28) among other applications. He initiated the field known now as Optical Biopsy He recently calculated he has brought in $62 million worth of funding to CUNY during his career, averaging $1.7 million per year. He states that he has accomplished this feat by "hitting the pavement"; he developed a habit of aggressively reaching out to funding partners and getting them interested in his work. Alfano has made discoveries that have furthered biomedical optics, in addition to fields such as optical communications, solid-state physics, and metrology. Alfano has an outstanding track record for achievements regarding the development of biomedical instruments. His contributions to photonics are documented in more than 700 research articles, 102 patents, several edited volumes and conference proceedings, and well over 10,000 citations. He holds 45 patents and published over 230 articles in the biomedical optics area alone. His discovery of the white-light supercontinuum laser is at the root of optical coherence tomography, which is breaking barriers in ophthalmology, cardiology, and oral cancer detection (see "Better resolution with multibeam OCT," page 28) among other applications. Alfano has trained and mentored over 52 PhD candidates and 50 post-doctoral students. For the past ten years, he has trained innumerable high school students in hands on photonics.
Heinz Wilhelm Siesler is a Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, with expertise in vibrational spectroscopy in combination with chemometric data evaluation for chemical research, analysis and process control. He has 240+ publications (4 monographs) and presented more than 300 lectures worldwide. Since 2012 he is a Fellow of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy and received several awards (1994 EAS NIR Award, 2000 Tomas Hirschfeld PITTCON NIR Award, and 2003 Buechi NIR Award). Prior to his academic position he gained industrial experience as section head in molecular spectroscopy and thermal analysis in the R&D Department of Bayer AG, Germany. He also worked as lecturer (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa) and Post-Doc (University of Cologne, Germany), after receiving his PhD in Chemistry (University of Vienna, Austria). The test and application of miniaturized handheld vibrational spectrometers is a special research focus over the last ten years.
Dr. Alex Kazemi a world recognized Micro Technologist, and materials scientist is focusing on development of fiber optics, miniaturized fiber components, fiber optic sensors, and micro/nano technology of laser components for aviation, aerospace and space applications. He is developer of the lightest fiber optic cable in aviation history, World 1st fiber optic sensor for rocket engine, U.S. 1st fiber optic delivery system for micro welding of laser chips, and leading-edge technologies. He is The Boeing Company Fiber Optic Architect, Associate Technical Fellow, and worked for 25 years for Boeing as well as 10 years for telecom, lasers, sensors and MEMS industries. He also taught physics and materials science for several years at University of Southern California. Currently he is the Principal Consultant for development of new generation of fiber optics and sensors to the Boeing Company. He has authored/edited 8 books and one book chapter in the area of photonics, lasers, sensors, fiber optics, micro and nano technologies, plus published over 48 papers in International Journals and hundreds of presentations throughout of conferences and technical community’s world-wide. In recent survey by “Research Gate” organization over 1000 of his peers reviewed his published papers. In 2018, 2019 and 2021 three separate International Awards were presented to him for the phenomenal presentation for his research on fiber optic sensor and lasers. He has been Chairman of SPIE International Conferences in Photonics Applications for Fiber Optic Sensors and Lasers for 8 years and Chairman, Chief Scientific Committee and Chief Editor of Excel Global International Conference on Lasers, Optics, Photonics, and Sensors in 2021. He has bestowed hundreds of recognitions, awards and patents
Peter J. Delfyett received the B.E.(E.E.) degree from The City College of New York in 1981, the M.S. degree in EE from The University of Rochester in 1983, the M. Phil and Ph.D. degrees from The Graduate School & University Center of the City University of New York in 1987 and 1988, respectively. His Ph.D. thesis was focused on developing a real time ultrafast spectroscopic probe to study molecular and phonon dynamics in condensed matter using optical phase conjugation techniques. After obtaining the Ph.D. degree, he joined Bell Communication Research as a Member of the Technical Staff, where he concentrated his efforts towards generating ultrafast high power optical pulses from semiconductor diode lasers, for applications in applied photonic networks. Some of his technical accomplishments were the development of the world’s fastest, most powerful modelocked semiconductor laser diode, the demonstration of an optically distributed clocking network for high speed digital switches and supercomputer applications, and the first observation of the optical nonlinearity induced by the cooling of highly excited electron-hole pairs in semiconductor optical amplifiers. While at Bellcore, Dr. Delfyett received numerous awards for his technical achievements in these areas, including the Bellcore Synergy Award and the Bellcore Award of Appreciation. Dr. Delfyett joined the faculty at the College of Optics & Photonics and the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) at the University of Central Florida in 1993, and currently holds the positions of University of Central Florida Trustee Chair Professor of Optics, ECE & Physics. Dr. Delfyett served as the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics (2001-2006), and served on the Board of Directors of the Optical Society of America. He served as an Associate Editor of IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, was Executive Editor of IEEE LEOS Newsletter (1995-2000) and sits on the Presidential Science Advisory Council of the Orlando Science Center. He is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America, Fellow of IEEE/LEOS, was a member of the Board of Governors of IEEE-LEOS (2000-2002), and is also a member of Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, and Sigma Xi, and SPIE. Dr. Delfyett has been awarded the 1992 YMCA New Jersey Black Achievement Award, the 1993 National Black Engineer of the Year Award – Most Promising Engineer, the University Distinguished Research Award ’99, and highlighted in Design News’ “Engineering Achievement Awards”. In addition, Dr. Delfyett has been awarded the National Science Foundation’s Presidential Faculty Fellow Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, which is awarded to the Nation’s top 20 young scientists. Dr. Delfyett has published over 500 articles in refereed journals and conference proceedings, has been awarded 30 United States Patents, and has been highlighted on ‘C-SPAN’, “mainstreekweek.com” and in “Career Encounters”, a PBS Special on technical careers in the optics and photonics field. Dr. Delfyett was awarded the 1999 University Distinguished Researcher of the Year Award, the 2000 Black Engineer of the Year Award – Outstanding Alumnus Achievement, and the 2000 Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award. He was awarded the University of Central Florida’s 2001 Pegasus Professor Award which is the highest honor awarded by the University. He is also a Founding Member in NSF’s Scientists and Engineers in the School Program, which is a program to teach 8th graders about the benefits of science, engineering and technology in society. In 2003, Dr. Delfyett received the Technology Innovation Award from the Orlando Economic Development Commission. He was selected as one of the “50 Most Important Blacks in Research Science in 2004” and as a “Science Trailblazer in 2005 and 2006” by Career Communications Group and Science Spectrum Magazine. Dr. Delfyett has also endeavored to transfer technology to the private sector, and helped to found “Raydiance, Inc.” which is a spin-off company developing high power, ultrafast laser systems, based on Dr. Delfyett’s research, for applications in medicine, defense, material processing, biotech and other key technological markets. Dr. Delfyett was also elected to serve 2 terms as President of the National Society of Black Physicists (2008-2012). Most recently, he was awarded the APS Edward Bouchet Award for his significant scientific contributions in the area of ultrafast optical device physics and semiconductor diode based ultrafast lasers, and for his exemplary and continuing efforts in the career development of underrepresented minorities in science and engineering. Awards & Honors International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) Fellow American Physical Society (APS) Fellow IEEE Photonics Society Fellow Optical Society of America (OSA) Fellow 2019 Excellence in Graduate Teaching College Award 2014 Florida Academy of Science’s 2014 Medalist 2013 National Academy of Inventors Fellow 2013 Letter of Appreciation – SPIE 2013 Faculty Excellence for Mentoring Doctoral Students 2013 College Research Incentive Award (RIA) 2012 Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Doctoral Students 2012 College Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award 2012 Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award 2011 Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award 2011 APS Edward Bouchet Award 2010 American Physical Society Edward Bouchet Award 2010 IEEE Photonic Society Graduate Student Fellowship 2010 SPIE Educational Scholarship in Optical Science and Engineering 2010 Incubic/Milton Chang Travel Award to attend CLEO 2006 Science Spectrum Trailblazer 2005 District Advocate for the American Physical Society 2005 Science Spectrum Outstanding Black Professional in Science 2003 Technology Innovation Award 2003 UCF Millionaire’s Club 2002 Pegasus Professor Award 2002 UCF Distinguished Research Professor Award 2002 UCF Millionaire’s Club 2001 UCF Nguzo Saba Award 2000 Research Incentive Award (RIA) Research Group Conducting research on ultrafast high power optical pulses from semiconductor diode lasers, for applications in applied photonic networks and laser induced materials modification.
Nicolas Javahiraly is an associate professor in physics at the University of Strasbourg. He did his PhD in Photonics at the same university on fiber optic sensors. After a post-doc at Harvard University on the interaction between ultra-short laser pulses and matter, he worked as a project manager and expert in the Sagem Defense group in Paris. He joined the University of Strasbourg in 2007 and is currently working on nano-optical sensors and plasmonics for various applications such as gas detection, pollutants detection and photoconversion systems for example.
Grover Swartzlander is an associate professor at the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is a fellow of the Optical Society (OSA) and serves the society in various capacities, including as current editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Optical Society of America B. As a NASA NIAC Fellow, he has served on two teams (Steering of Solar Sails Using Optical Lift Force and Orbiting Rainbows). His research has been cited roughly 2,500 times in areas related to radiation pressure and torque, laser beam propagation phenomena, nonlinear optics, advanced optical coronagraphs and advanced imaging. He has been an educator for over 20 years, at locations including the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York; the University of Arizona in Tucson; and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts. After earning a B.S. in physics at Drexel University, he pursued a M.S.E.E. at Purdue University, and from there moved with his advisor to complete his Ph.D. at the Johns Hopkins University. Before moving to academia, he spent a postdoctoral fellowship at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. In addition to the pleasures of theoretical and experimental research, he finds enjoyment in photography and reading the New York Times. Google Scholar Profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=uEV5WZoAAAAJ&hl=en Researcher Interests: Optical Vortices, Radiation Pressure, Solar Sailing, Laser Propulsion, Radiation Protection, Optical Vortex Coronagraph, Optical Lift, Holographic Optical Elements, Diffractive Light Sails, Optical Tweezers, Exoplanet Imaging, Solar Polar Orbiter, NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts NIaC, Satellite Attitude Control by Radiation Pressure, Optical Beam Rider and Imaging Science
Dr. Bing Yu received his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in 2005 and postdoctoral training from Duke University between 2005-08. Dr. Yu is currently an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Marquette University and Medical College of Wisconsin. His prior experience includes a Senior Research Scientist and Research Assistant Professor at Duke University and tenure-track Assistant Professor at the University of Akron. His current research focuses on light-tissue interaction, optical imaging and spectroscopy for cancer detection and treatment monitoring, and optical sensors. Dr. Yu is an ASLMS Fellow, senior member of SPIE, and member of Optica (OSA) and BMES.
Mahsa Ranji, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Computer and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science department and I-SENSE institute at the Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Dr. Ranji has received her PhD in electrical engineering from University of Pennsylvania followed by a postdoctoral training at Sanford-Burnham medical research institute in La Jolla. Specializing in biomedical optics, Dr. Ranji’s focus is in developing non- invasive tissue diagnostic tools. She is the director of the Biophotonics Laboratory, which focuses on optical imaging particularly fluorescence imaging, instrumentation design, and image processing tool development for biomedical applications. Dr. Ranji collaborates with researchers at Medical School and I-Brain to study tissue metabolism and oxidative stress in disease models such as diabetes and cancer using optical imaging. Her recent research is funded by national institute of health (NIH) and ISENSE seed funding.
Dr. Lingyan Shi’s pioneering work in developing and applying novel optical techniques has led to a number of significant breakthroughs in biophotonics with major implications for the fields of neuroscience and cancer research and is allowing us to visualize the mechanisms underlying everyday processes and disease. One of Dr. Shi’s most significant discoveries has been the development of a new experimental technique that combines heavy water labeling and a relatively new imaging method, stimulated Raman scattering microscopy, to probe the metabolic activities of living tissues at subcellular resolution in situ. This discovery facilitates the visualization of tumor boundaries, embryonic development, and even aging in biological tissue. Another significant scientific contribution is her discovery of the “Golden Optical Window” – a unique band of infrared wavelengths that can penetrate deeper into biological tissues than other wavelengths of light during imaging, thereby dramatically increasing the imaging depth possible in brain tissue by as much as 50%. In addition, Dr. Shi has developed an early-detection spectral technique that could provide doctors with a tool for the early-stage detection of Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Arrasmith is currently a professor in the Department of Engineering Systems at FIT. He has 20 years experience with government research and development programs and has had extensive exposure to electro-optical, infrared, and laser detection systems. Prior to his position at Florida Tech, Dr. Arrasmith served as Program Manager of Physics and Electronics at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) in Washington DC. In 1997 he moved to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland to teach courses in Engineering and Linear Adaptive Optics. Dr. Arrasmith was then reassigned to the Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) at Patrick Air Force Base where he became Chief of the Systems and Technology Division. He was later appointed Division Chief for the Advanced Science and Technology Division of the AFTAC and remained in the position until joining Florida Tech in 2003. Research Interests Adaptive optics Cellular neural networks Advanced sensor, Imaging Detection concepts
Dr. Vo-Dinh is R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Professor of Chemistry, and Director of the Fitzpatrick Institute for Photonics at
Duke University. After high school in Vietnam, he pursued studies in Europe, receiving a B.S. in physics at EPFL-Lausanne, Switzerland (1970) and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry at ETH-
Zurich, Switzerland (1975). Before joining Duke University in 2006, he was Director of the Center for Advanced Biomedical Photonics and a Corporate Fellow, one of the highest honors
for distinguished scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). His main research goal is focused on developing advanced technologies to protect the environment and human health. His research has centered on the development, integration and application of biophotonics, molecular
spectroscopy, molecular biology and nanotechnology for biomedical diagnostics, photoimmunotherapy, precision medicine, and global health. Dr. Vo-Dinh has received seven R&D 100
Awards for Most Significant Advance in Research and Development; the Gold Medal Award, Society for Applied Spectroscopy (1988); the Languedoc-Roussillon Award (France) (1989); the Scientist of the Year Award, ORNL (1992);
the Thomas Jefferson Award, Martin Marietta Corporation (1992); two Awards for Excellence in Technology Transfer, Federal Laboratory Consortium (1995, 1986); the Lockheed Martin Technology Commercialization Award (1998); the Distinguished Inventors Award, UT-Battelle (2003); the Distinguished Scientist of the Year Award, ORNL (2003); the Exceptional Services Award, U.S. Department of Energy (1997); the Award for Spectrochemical Analysis, American Chemical Society (2011); the Sir George Stokes Award, Royal Society of Chemistry, United Kingdom (2019); and the SPIE’s President Award, SPIE The International Society for Optics and Photonics (2022). He has authored over 500 publications, is a Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Inventors and holds over 60 patents.
AWARDS, HONORS, AND DISTINCTIONS
• President’s Award. SPIE. 2022
• Sir George Stokes Award. Royal Society of Chemistry. 2019
• Elected Fellow. National Academy of Inventors. 2017
• Award on Spectrochemical Analysis. American Chemical Society, Division of Analytical Chemistry. 2011
• Fellows. American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. 2004
• Director’s Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Science and Technology. UT-Battelle. 2003
• Distinguished Inventors Award. Battelle Memorial Institute. 2003
• Distinguished Scientist of the Year Award. Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 2003
• Fellow. International Society for Optics and Photonics. 2000
• RD-100 Award for Most Technologically Significant Advance in R&D (Multifunctional Biochip). R&D Magazine. 1999
• Lockheed Martin Commercialization Award. Lockheed Martin Corporation. 1998
• AMSE Award, American Museum of Science and Technology (BiOptics Technology). American Museum of Science and Technology. 1997
• BER-50 Award for Exceptional Service for a Health Citizenry. US Department of Energy. 1997
• Inventor of the Year Award. Tennessee Inventors Association. 1996
• RD-100 Award for Most Technologically Significant Advance in R&D (SERS Gene Probe). R&D Magazine. 1996
• Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer (SERODS Technology). Federal Laboratory Consortium. 1995
• RD-100 Award for Most Technologically Significant Product of the Year (PCB Spot Test). R&D Magazine. 1994
• Inventors International Hall of Fame Award. Inventors Clubs of America. 1992
• RD-100 Award for Most Technologically Significant Product of the Year (SERODS Technology). R&D Magazine. 1992
• Scientist of the Year. Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 1992
• Thomas Jefferson Award. Martin Marietta Corporation. 1992
• Languedoc-Rousillon Medal. University of Perpignan (France). 1989
• Gold Medal Spectroscopy Award. Society for Applied Spectroscopy. 1988
• RD-100 Award for Most Significant Technological Advance in R&D (Fluoroimmunosensor). R&D Magazine. 1987
• Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer. Federal Laboratory Consortium. 1986
• RD 100 Award for Most Significant Technological Advance in Research & Dev (PNA Dosimeter). R&D Magazine. 1981
COURSES TAUGHT
• BME 493: Projects in Biomedical Engineering (GE)
• BME 555: Advances in Photonics (GE, IM)
• BME 567: Biosensors (GE, IM, MC)
• BME 791: Graduate Independent Study
• BME 792: Continuation of Graduate Independent Study
• CHEM 393: Research Independent Study
• CHEM 394: Research Independent Study
• CHEM 601: Biosensors
• CHEM 630: Advances in Photonics (GE, IM)
IN THE NEWS
• Silver-Plated Gold Nanostars Detect Early Cancer Biomarkers (Jul 22, 2020 | Pratt School of Engineering)
• Duke Scientists Receive Royal Society of Chemistry Awards (May 7, 2019)
• Tuan Vo-Dinh to be Part of International Day of Light in Paris (Apr 5, 2018)
• Three Engineers Named to National Academy of Inventors (Dec 13, 2017)
• Shedding light on cancer (Sep 12, 2017 | Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute)
• Gold Nanostars and Immunotherapy Vaccinate Mice Against Cancer (Aug 17, 2017 | Pratt School of Engineering)
• Energy Initiative Provides First Round of Research Seed Funding (Apr 16, 2014)
• Duke-designed nanoprobes may detect early disease markers (Sep 9, 2013 | News & Observer)
• Light and Nanoprobes Detect Early Signs of Infection (Jun 20, 2013 | Pratt School of Engineering)
Dr. Zhongping Chen is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Director of the OCT Laboratory at the University of California, Irvine. He is a Co-founder and Chairman of OCT Medical Imaging Inc. Dr. Chen received his B.S. degree in Applied Physics from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1982, his M. S. degree in Electrical Engineering in 1987, and his Ph.D. degree in Applied Physics from Cornell University in 1993. Dr. Chen and his research group have pioneered the development of Doppler optical coherence tomography, which simultaneously provides high resolution 3-D images of tissue structure and vascular flow dynamics. These functional extensions of OCT offer contrast enhancements and provide mapping of many clinically important parameters. In addition, his group has developed a number of endoscopic and intravascular rotational and linear miniature probes for OCT and MPM imaging and translated this technology to clinical applications. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers and review articles and holds a number of patents in the fields of biomaterials, biosensors, and biomedical imaging. Dr. Chen is a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), a Fellow of SPIE, and a Fellow of the Optical Society of America.
Benedykt Michal Josef Campbell-Biezanek is 71 years old; he is happily married (but also happily separated) with four sons and ten grandchildren. The author discovered the key solution that led to what he only now calls The Gauss-Newton Quantum-Relativity at nine years of age. It was too great a burden for a nine-year-old to deal with and the author decided to leave the issue until later in his life. The author became an electrical engineer with his own company designing and manufacturing highly specialised electronic instruments for the energy industry. In 2007, the author sold his company and at the age of 57, he took up the full-time theoretical work that led, as a mere byproduct of that overall work, to the development of what he now names as The Gauss-Newton Quantum-Relativity.
Boris Gramatikov is an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University, Department of Ophthalmology. He obtained his Dipl.- Ing. degree in Biomedical Engineering in Germany, and his Ph.D. in Bulgaria. He has completed a number of postdoctoral studies in Germany, Italy and the United States. He joined the faculty of the Biomedical Engineering Department of Johns Hopkins in 1996, and has been working in the Laboratory of Ophthalmic Instrumentation Development at The Wilmer Eye Institute since 2000. His areas of expertise include electronics, optoelectronics, computers, computer modeling, signal/image processing, data analysis, instrumentation design, biophotonics, ophthalmic and biomedical optics, and polarization optics, all applied to the development of diagnostic methods and devices for ophthalmology and vision research. His team has developed a series of pediatric vision screeners. He has over 120 publications, 41 of which in high-impact peer- reviewed journals. He serves as a reviewer and editorial board member with a number of technical and medical journals. Boris is the Director for Continuing Education of the Baltimore Section of the IEEE.
Prof. Rajpal Singh Sirohi did his Masters in Physics in 1964 from Agra University, and Post M.Sc. in Applied Optics and Ph. D. in Physics both from Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi in 1965 and 1970 respectively. Prof. Sirohi was Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering Department at Indian Institute of Technology Madras during 1971-1979. He became Professor in the Physics Department of the same Institute in 1979. He joined IIT Delhi as Director in 2000 and superannuated in April 2005 from IIT Delhi. During 2000 - 2011, he had been deeply engaged in academic administration and research as Director IIT Delhi (December 2000 - April 2005); Vice-Chancellor, Barkatullah University, Bhopal; (April 2005 - September 2007); Vice-Chancellor, Shobhit University, Meerut (October 2007 - March 2008); Vice-Chancellor of Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur (March 2008 - October 2009) and Vice-Chancellor, Invertis University, Bareilly (January 2011 – October 2011). He was also the Visitor to the Teerthanker Mahaveer University, Moradabad (June 2012- June 2013). He is currently serving in the Physics Department, Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, Alabama USA. Prior to this (2013 - 2016), he was the Chair Professor, Physics Department, Tezpur University, Tezpur, Assam, India. He was Distinguished Scholar in the Department of Physics and Optical Engineering, Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indian USA during 2011 - 2013. Prof. Sirohi worked in Germany as a Humboldt Fellow at PTB, Braunschweig, and as a Humboldt Awardee at Oldenburg University. He was a Senior Research Associate at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, and Associate Professor, and Distinguished Scholar at Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana. He was ICTP (International Center for Theoretical Physics, Trieste Italy) Consultant to Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Malaya, Malaysia and ICTP Visiting Scientist to the University of Namibia. He was Visiting Professor at the National University of Singapore, and EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland. Prof. Sirohi is Fellow of several important academies/ societies in India and abroad including the Indian National Academy of Engineering; National Academy of Sciences, Optical Society of America; Optical Society of India; SPIE (The International Society for Optical Engineering), Instrument Society of India and honorary fellow of ISTE and Metrology Society of India. Recently, the Optical Society of India conferred on him the distinction of Distinguished Fellow. He is member of several other scientific societies and founding member of India Laser Association. Prof. Sirohi was also the Chair for SPIE-INDIA Chapter, which he established with co-operation from SPIE in 1995 at IIT Madras. He was invited as JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) Fellow and JITA Fellow to Japan. He was a member of the Education Committee of SPIE. Prof. Rajpal Singh Sirohi did his Masters in Physics in 1964 from Agra University, and Post M.Sc. in Applied Optics and Ph. D. in Physics both from Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi in 1965 and 1970 respectively. Prof. Sirohi was Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering Department at Indian Institute of Technology Madras during 1971-1979. He became Professor in the Physics Department of the same Institute in 1979. He joined IIT Delhi as Director in 2000 and superannuated in April 2005 from IIT Delhi. 2 Prof. Sirohi has received the following awards from various organizations: Humboldt Research Award (1995) by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany; Galileo Galilei Award of International Commission for Optics (1995); Amita De Memorial Award of the Optical Society of India (1998); 13th Khwarizmi International Award, IROST (Iranian Research Organisation for Science and Technology (2000); Albert Einstein Silver Medal, UNESCO (2000); Dr. YT Thathachari Prestigious Award for Science by Thathachari Foundation, Mysore (2001); Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Award in Engineering & Technology for 2000, (awarded in 2002) by MP Council of Science and Technology; NRDC Technology Invention Award on May 11, 2003; Sir CV Raman Award: Physical Sciences for 2002 by UGC (University Grants Commission); Padma Shri, a national Civilian Award (2004); Sir CV Raman Birth Centenary Award (2005) by Indian Science Congress Association, Kolkata; Holo-Knight (2005), inducted into Order of Holo- Knights during the International Conference-Fringe 05-held at Stuttgart, Germany; Centenarian Seva Ratna Award (2004) by The Centenarian Trust, Chennai; Instrument Society of India Award (2007); Gabor Award (2009) by SPIE (The International Society for Optical Engineering) USA; UGC National Hari OM Ashram Trust Award - Homi J. Bhabha Award for Applied Sciences (2005) by UGC; Title ‘Freedom of the Institute’ conferred by Indian Institute of Technology Delhi in 2011; Distinguished Alumni Award (2013) by Indian Institute of Technology Delhi; Vikram Award 2014 by SPIE (The International Society for Optical Engineering) USA. According to Stanford University ranking report, he is listed with in 2% of the global scientists in Optoelectronics and Photonics. Prof. Sirohi was the President of the Optical Society of India during 1994-1996. He was also the President of Instrument Society of India for three terms (2003-06, 2007-09, 2010-12). He was on the International Advisory Board of the Journal of Modern Optics, UK and on the editorial Boards of the Journal of Optics (India), Optik, Indian Journal of Pure and Applied Physics. He was Guest Editor to the Journals “Optics and Lasers in Engineering” and “Optical Engineering”. He was Associate Editor of the International Journal “Optical Engineering”, USA during (1999-Aug.2013), and currently is its Senior Editor (since August 2013). He is the Series Editor of the Series on ‘Advances in Optics, Photonics and Optoelectronics’ published by Institute of Physics (IoP) Publishing, UK. Prof. Sirohi has 496 papers to his credit with 250 published in national and international journals, 78 papers in Proceedings of the conferences and 168 presented in conferences. He has authored/co-authored/edited thirteen books including five milestones for SPIE. He was Principal Coordinator for 26 projects sponsored by Government Funding Agencies and Industries, has supervised 25 Ph.D. theses, 7 M.S. theses and numerous B.Tech., M.Sc. and M.Tech. theses. Prof. Sirohi’s research areas are Optical Metrology, Optical Instrumentation, Laser Instrumentation, Holography and Speckle Phenomenon.
Dr. Ilirjana Anna Sino Toptani Mariani is an innovator with leadership skills and experience managing research professionals in collaborative projects resulting in discoveries and funds. She is an Albanian-Italian-Canadian Scientist with a academic background; obtained her Ph.D. degree in Physics/ Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy from the University of Florence, Department of Physics and Astronomy and LENS jointly with the University Complutense of Madrid, supported also by the Institute of Applied Physics and The University of Tirana and Vlora. She has also a MSc and BSc in Physics/Biophysics, Physics/Education from the University of Tirana. Her experience and expertise in teaching and research include Physics, Nonlinear Spectroscopy, Biophysics, Medical Physics, Imaging, Photonics, Optics, Physical Chemistry, and Quantum Biology with applications in the environmental and biomedical field, development of instruments, diagnostic and analytical Bio-Physical-Chemical methods of analysis. She has also been trained from Harvard University, and the University of British Columbia on legal topics for scientists, entrepreneurs and start-ups, Education Redesign for the 21st Century, Advanced methods in Molecular Biology. She is an activist of the Academy of Leadership sciences, Switzerland in Canada and an activist of Scientists of Albanian Diaspora. Her academic experience includes among others lecturing at the university of Tirana and Vlora, Faculty of Technical Sciences and Engineering and Faculty of Nursing and Public Health; Despite her fields of expertise she is interested in Energetic Psychology, Holistic healing, and Politics and is fluent in three languages and has professional proficiency in more then two.
Christian Huck obtained his doctorate in chemistry in 1998 from the University in Innsbruck, Austria, where he continued to work as an assistant professor until the habilitation in 2006. In 2013 he received a call as a full professor to the University of Stuttgart, Germany, in 2015 a call for a full professor to the University of Innsbruck, where he is currently vice-head of the Institute of Analytical Chemistry and Radiochemistry and head of the spectroscopy unit. From 2014 until 2017 Christian Huck worked as a visiting scientist with Professor Yukihiro Ozaki at Kwansei-Gakuin University (Sanda, Hyogo, Japan). Christian currently is editor-in- chief for Spectrochimica Acta A (Elsevier) and NIR news (Sage), associate editor for Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy (JNIRS, Sage) and several others known journals in the broader field of analytical chemistry. In 2023 he will be chair to host ICNIRS 2023 international conference and is the current vice-president of the Austrian Chemical Society. During the last 15 years Christian received about 15 international awards including Tomas Hirschfeld. Christian has published more than 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts resulting in an h-index of 58 based on more than 12900 citations.
Dr. Richard Kyung is the Director of RISE-CRG Research Group in NY and Technical Program Chair in IEEE USA. He has diverse range of research expertise and experience in: Math/Science, Engineering, Biomedicine/Biochemistry, ComSci/Stat, Computational Economics, Financial Engineering, Social Science and IT Development.
Niloy Dutta is a professor of physics at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT. He was Director of Optoelectronic Device Research at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ. He is a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEEE), a Fellow of the Optical Society of America, a Fellow of the International Society of Optical Engineers (SPIE), and, a Member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. He received the Photonics Society Distinguished Lecturer Award in 1995 and Bell Laboratories President’s Award in 1997