Work with thought leaders and academic experts in optics

Companies can greatly benefit from working with someone whose expertise is in the field of optics. Optics researchers can provide valuable insights and solutions to various challenges. They can help improve product design and development, optimize manufacturing processes, enhance quality control, and innovate new technologies. Their expertise can also be applied in fields such as telecommunications, medical imaging, defense, and renewable energy. By collaborating with optics experts, companies can stay at the forefront of technological advancements and gain a competitive edge in the market.

Researchers on NotedSource with backgrounds in optics include Mesut Balaban, Dr. Caleb Ramette, Ph.D., Daniel Milej, Ph.D., Alperen Saltik, Ben Bartlett, Dr. Ekaterina Ponizovskaya Devine, Mengying Li, Lee Weinstein, Mohand Saed, Deep Jariwala, and Arny Leroy.

Mesut Balaban

İSTANBUL
4 Years Experience
Physics Engineer
Education

Yıldız Technical University

Ph.D., Physics

Istanbul

Istanbul Technical University

B.Sc., Physics Engineering / June, 2006

Istanbul
Experience

Agteks LTD.

March, 2020 — June, 2022

Most Relevant Research Expertise
Optics
Other Research Expertise (3)
Photonics
Quantum Dots
Colorimetry
About
As an optical scientist with a strong foundation in optics, photonics, quantum dots, metamaterials, colorimetry, and spectroscopy, I have a diverse set of skills and experience in optical laboratories. My background in academia and industry has given me practical hands-on experience in this field. I am on track to earn my PhD in Physics.

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Dr. Caleb Ramette, Ph.D.

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
8 Years Experience
Materials Scientist (PhD) specializing in functional ceramics, advanced energy materials, single crystal growth, and optical properties
Education

University of Utah

Ph.D. Materials Science & Engineering / 2025

Hillsdale College

B.S. Chemistry Magna Cum Laude / 2021

Experience

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Graduate Research Assistant / January, 2025 — December

Pioneered impulsively stimulated Raman and THz spectroscopy to quantify dynamic properties of single-crystal solid-state electrolytes. Collaborated with applied physics and nanomaterials staff scientists to link synthesis to device-relevant performance. Designed, built, and optimized optical spectroscopy systems for advanced materials characterization.

University of Utah

Graduate Research Assistant / January, 2021 — December

Scaled garnet (LLZO) synthesis from 2cm to 123cm per batch while maintaining microstructure control. Increased crystal size 100x for higher-fidelity LaueXRDsynchrotron characterization and defect studies. Set and met process objectives for 6 crystal growth campaigns of new materials, controlling doping levels below 0.5%. Coordinated campaigns with CHESS Cornell NSFs PARADIM Facility and Oak Ridge Argonne Los Alamos Lawrence Berkeley and Brookhaven National Laboratories. Built and optimized lab infrastructure (high-temp furnaces, growth chambers, safety systems) enabling reproducible process yields.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Graduate Research Internship / January, 2023 — December, 2023

Quantified LLZO lattice disorder and defects via structural and neutron scattering models. Adapted simulation tools to correlate engineered disorder impacts with LLZO performance.

Most Relevant Research Expertise
Optics
Other Research Expertise (10)
Ceramics
Oxides
Single crystal growth
Solid-state electrolytes
Advanced energy materials
And 5 more
About
I am a PhD-trained Materials Scientist and Engineer with advanced expertise in ceramics, polymers, metals, and electrochemical materials, and a strong track record of translating fundamental materials insights into practical, scalable solutions. My background includes end-to-end materials development—composition and process design, materials selection, failure analysis, and performance validation—working across both academic and industry-adjacent R&D environments. My research and consulting experience emphasizes materials characterization, thermodynamics and kinetics, degradation mechanisms, and structure–property relationships, with hands-on use of techniques such as diffraction and spectroscopy, thermal analysis, electrochemical testing, and microstructural evaluation. I regularly work at the interface of materials science and product engineering, advising on manufacturability, reliability, safety considerations, and performance trade-offs to support real-world design of experiment decisions. In addition to research, I have extensive experience communicating complex technical concepts to non-specialist audiences through teaching, technical presentations, and collaborative problem-solving with cross-functional teams. This includes serving as a teaching assistant in both undergraduate and graduate engineering courses, as well as collaborating with engineers and scientists to scope projects, interpret data, and guide development strategy. I am comfortable acting as a primary technical advisor—supporting early-stage concept development through validation and scale-up—while aligning materials choices with regulatory, safety, and compliance requirements relevant to global consumer products.

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Daniel Milej, Ph.D.

London, Ontario, Canada
15 Years Experience
Ph.D. in biomedical engineering
Education

Western University

Post-doctorate fellowship, Department of Medical Biophysics / June, 2019

London

Polish Academy of Science

PhD, Nalecz Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering / June, 2014

Warsaw

Military Univeristy of Technology

MSc, Department of Electronics / June, 2008

Warsaw
Experience

Lawson Research Institute

Research Associate / July, 2019 — July, 2025

Scientist / August, 2024 — Present

Western University

Postdoctoral fellow / September, 2014 — June, 2019

Assistant Professor / September, 2024 — Present

Polish Academy of Science

Researcher/PhD Student / June, 2008 — September, 2014

Research Expertise (32)
Biomedical Optics
NIRS
fNIRS
Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy
CBF
And 27 more
About
Dr. Daniel Milej is a multidisciplinary researcher with experience in medical biophysics, electronics, biocybernetics, biomedical optics and engineering. He is highly knowledgeable and experienced in a range of research techniques. He is a Scientist at the Lawson Research Institute, leading the transition of multimodal optical imaging systems from a research setting to clinical use in an ICU and OR environment, working closely with teams of nurses, surgeons, doctors and respiratory therapists. Previously, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Associate working on developing noninvasive modalities for brain activity monitoring in the Department of Medical Biophysics at Western University. Before that, Dr. Milej worked as a Researcher at the Nalecz Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2014 from the Polish Academy of Science, specializing in Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering. He received his MSc in Electronics/Optoelectronics from the Military University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland, in 2008.

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Alperen Saltik

Ankara
5 Years Experience
M.S. and B.S. holder in physics, with publications in optics and photonics
Education

Bilkent University

M.S., Physics / July, 2024

Ankara

Bilkent University

B.S., Physics / June, 2021

Ankara
Experience

Photonic Devic Lab

Experimental Physicist / July, 2019 — July, 2024

I worked as an Experimental Researcher in optics and photonics lab.

Most Relevant Research Expertise
Optics
Other Research Expertise (4)
Laser Writing
Beam Shaping
Phase Microscopy
Holography
About
I am Alperen Saltık, a published physicist with an M.S. and B.S. in physics from Bilkent University. I have 5 years of experimental research in optics and photonics, resulting in two first-author papers and a third-author Nature Communications publication. I co-founded my university's Scientific Communication Society, leading 20+ talks, and have presented my research at SPIE Photonics West 2023. With 8 semesters of teaching assistantship experience, I am proficient in scientific writing, LaTeX, and computational tools like MATLAB and Python.

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Ben Bartlett

8 Years Experience
Quantum Computer Scientist at Stanford
Education

Stanford University

PhD, Applied Physics

Stanford, California, United States of America

Stanford University

MS, Electrical Engineering

Stanford, California, United States of America

California Institute of Technology

BS, Physics, Computer Science

Pasadena, California, United States of America
Experience

Stanford University

PhD Student / 2017 — Present

AT&T Foundry

2017 — 2017

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Undergraduate researcher / 2016 — 2016

Research Expertise (8)
Programmable Photonics
Photonic Computing
Quantum Information
Quantum Optics
Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
And 3 more
About
Bartlett is a PhD student in applied physics at Stanford University. He also has a master's degree in electrical engineering from Stanford, and a bachelor's degree in physics and computer science from the California Institute of Technology. He has experience as an undergraduate researcher at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

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Dr. Ekaterina Ponizovskaya Devine

24 Years Experience
University of California, Davis
Education

Moscow Engineering Physics Institute

Ph.D., Applied Physics / January

Moscow
Experience

University of California, Davis

Consultant / October, 2018 — Present

W&Wsens Devices Inc

Principal Scientist / October, 2014 — Present

Montana State University

Research Scientist / November, 2020 — July, 2022

Most Relevant Research Expertise
Optics
Other Research Expertise (3)
Physics
Photonics
Quantum communication
About
I am interested in new technology in optics, photonics, and quantum systems. I am motivated to find new solutions and develop new applications, constantly learning and improving my skills. I have a strong background in Physics and experience solving Multiphysics problems numerically with commercial software and using in-house code. I have experience with experimental equipment and automation. • Optics and Photonics. Design, modeling, and theoretical simulations and experiments for photonics components from UV to IR (high-speed photodetectors, metasurface structures, APD, SPAD, laser, VCSEL, lenses, interconnectors, sensors, fibers) for communications, sensors, image sensors, and quantum applications. Signal and image processing, temporal and special noise, stochastic process, stochastic resonance. Digital holography, wavefront reconstruction. Digital holography. Multi-physics simulation, non-linear optics. • Numerical methods (Monte-Carlo, FDTD, FEM, FFT, RCWA, BPM, TMM) for modeling complex multi-physics simulations, sparse matrices, ordinary and partial differential equations. Signal processing algorithms, machine learning, optimization, modeling probability distribution, time-dependent density functional theory, non-equilibrium Green’s functions. C++, Python, Matlab , Commercial software: Lumerical, Comsol, Zemax, Silvaco, LabVIEW, computer clusters parallel coding with CPU, parallel programming with CUDA and GPU. • New materials: quantum dots, photonic crystals, 2D materials, negative index materials, chirality, broken RT-symmetry, and non-Hermitian structures. Si, Ge, and III-V semiconductors. Turbulence, Mie and Raman scattering. • Quantum communication and quantum computing. Quantum to a classical interface. Quantum networks and Quantum Key Distribution system with noise and crosstalk. Quantum communication protocoles. • Experience with optical lab equipment, experiment automation, experimental setup, and alignment, data processing. Electrical and optical testing and data analysis. • Automation of a variety of systems, optical, cryogenic fuel loading, and storage systems. Physics-based models for a variety of physical systems (optics, photonics, fluid and gas dynamics, two-phase flow, cavitation). Prognostics for automated systems for NASA, using machine learning in combination with physics-based models. • Patents and publications in peer-reviewed journals: over 150 publications, conferences presentations at IEEE, APS, Optics https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wpEXwjwAAAAJ&hl=en • Supervising students

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Mengying Li

2 Years Experience
Assistant Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Education

University of California, San Diego

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering / July, 2018

San Diego, California, United States of America
Experience

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Assistant Professor / October, 2020 — Present

Research Expertise (23)
Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Instrumentation
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Computer Science Applications
Control and Systems Engineering
And 18 more
About
Mengying Li is an Assistant Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from University of California, San Diego in 2018. Her research interests include predictive modeling, design optimization, and machine learning. She is also an expert in passive cooling devices.

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Lee Weinstein

6 Years Experience
STEM Educator
Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

S.M., Mechanical Engineering / August, 2013

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America

University of California Berkeley

B.S., Mechanical Engineering / May, 2011

Berkeley, California, United States of America
Experience

Brilliant.org

Principal Scientist / 2017 — Present

Research Expertise (22)
Energy conversion
solar energy
thermoelectrics
Energy Engineering and Power Technology
Fuel Technology
And 17 more
About
Weinstein is a Principal Scientist at Brilliant.org, where he focuses on engineering education. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his research interests include the design of educational technology and the development of educational content.

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Mohand Saed

6 Years Experience
University of Cambridge, Cavendish Laboratory
Education

University of Colorado Denver

PhD, Mechanical engineering

Denver, Colorado, United States of America

University of Colorado Denver

MS, Mechanical engineering / December, 2013

Denver, Colorado, United States of America
Experience

University of Cambridge

Senior research associate / October, 2018 — September, 2022

University of Texas at Dallas

Postdoctoral associate / June, 2017 — September, 2018

University of Cambridge

Research assistant professor / September, 2022 — Present

Research Expertise (8)
Liquid Crystal Elastomers
Vitrimers
Polymers
Thermoplastics
3D printing
And 3 more
About
Dr. Mohand Saed is an experienced mechanical engineer who is an expert in microfluidics and energy systems. He obtained his PhD in Mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado Denver in 2015 and his MS in Mechanical engineering from the same university in 2013. Throughout his career, he has had numerous research positions, including as a Senior Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Texas at Dallas, and Research Assistant Professor at the University of Cambridge. He has published extensively on his research topics and holds several patents. He is also an active member of the technical community and is well known for his expertise in microfluidics and energy systems.

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Deep Jariwala

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Assistant Professor: Electrical & Systems Engineering; Materials Science at UPenn
Education

Northwestern University

Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering / 2015

Evanston, Illinois, United States of America

Banaras Hindu University

Bachelors of Technology, Metallurgical Engineering / 2010

Varanasi
Research Expertise (23)
Mechanical Engineering
Condensed Matter Physics
Bioengineering
Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
And 18 more
About
Early career academic at University of Pennsylvania in Electrical and Systems Engineering department. I am a device and materials engineer with extensive experience in semiconductor fabrication, processing and characterization. My primary interests lie in exploring novel materials for applications in electronic and photonic devices as well as in energy harvesting applications. I am equally interested in studying fundamental physical and quantum phenomena in matter under confined environments and exploiting them for useful technology. Actively searching for funding opportunities, science communication and outreach opportunities as well as research collaborations.

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Arny Leroy

Research Specialist Limited at the Device Research Laboratory at MIT under the supervision of Prof. Evelyn Wang.
Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering / September, 2021

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
Research Expertise (5)
Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes
Mechanical Engineering
Condensed Matter Physics
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
About
Arny Leroy is a mechanical engineer who specializes in the design of mechanical systems. Arny is currently a Research Specialist Limited at the Device Research Laboratory at MIT under the supervision of Prof. Evelyn N. Wang. As part of his PhD work, Arny worked on passive radiative and evaporative cooling using novel polyethylene aerogels for passive cooling of buildings and refrigeration of food produce. Arny is currently working on designing, fabricating, and testing a micro combustor for a portable atmospheric water harvesting device that can extract potable drinking water from the ambient air. Arny's work is motivated by advancing the fields of thermal and energy sciences to make a more energy efficient and sustainable world. 

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Example optics projects

How can companies collaborate more effectively with researchers, experts, and thought leaders to make progress on optics?

Optical System Design for High-Speed Data Transmission

An optics expert can design and optimize optical systems for high-speed data transmission, enabling companies to achieve faster and more reliable communication networks.

Optical Inspection and Quality Control in Manufacturing

By leveraging optics expertise, companies can improve inspection and quality control processes in manufacturing, ensuring higher product quality and reducing defects.

Optical Imaging for Medical Diagnostics

Collaborating with an optics researcher can lead to the development of advanced optical imaging techniques for medical diagnostics, enabling early disease detection and improved patient care.

Optical Sensors for Environmental Monitoring

Optics experts can contribute to the development of optical sensors for environmental monitoring, helping companies track and analyze various parameters such as air quality, water pollution, and climate change.

Optical Design for Solar Energy Systems

Working with an optics specialist can result in the design and optimization of optical systems for solar energy generation, increasing efficiency and reducing costs in renewable energy production.