OSA Names Chief Scientist, Journal Editors

The Optical Society (OSA) has chosen a trio of researchers and an entrepreneur to lead three of its scholarly journals and its scientific endeavors.

Alexandra Boltasseva, appointed editor-in-chief of Optical Materials Express, is an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University, and adjunct associate professor in the department of photonics engineering at the Technical University of Denmark. She is an academic advisor to the OSA Purdue University Student Chapter and has served as a topical editor for Optics Letters.

Boltasseva succeeds David J. Hagan of the University of Central Florida, who had been editor-in-chief since Optical Materials Express was founded in 2011.

"My goal as editor-in-chief is to build on the existing topical coverage of Optics Materials Express and to highlight emerging research directions," Boltasseva said. "In its first few years of publication, the journal has shown that it effectively supports the integration of optical and materials sciences, and I am excited about the opportunities to continue down this path and to ensure that it continues to best serve the needs of the community."

P. Scott Carney, appointed editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Optical Society of America A, is a professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Optical Science Group at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has been deputy editor of the journal since 2014. He was also a topical editor and a program chairman for OSA's Frontiers in Optics conference from 2013 to 2014.

Carney takes over the editorial role from Franco Gori of Roma Tre University in Italy, who has led the journal for the last six years.

"This is the one journal that I have been reading since I was a student at the University of Rochester and that I continue to look to for important discoveries in the field," Carney said. "During this year of celebration for OSA's centennial, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to lead this 100 year-old journal into the next century of discovery."

Christoph Hitzenberger, appointed editor-in-chief of Biomedical Optics Express, is an associate professor of medical physics at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria, where he also serves as the vice head of the Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering. He has been an Optics Express associate editor and as an advisory and guest editor for Biomedical Optics Express.

Hitzenberger is chairman of the optical tomography and spectroscopy program committee for the 2016 OSA Biomedical Optics conference and chairman of OSA's Michael S. Feld Biophotonics Award committee. He succeeds founding editor-in-chief Joseph A. Izatt, a professor of biomedical engineering at Duke University.

"Since Biomedical Optics Express launched in 2010, I have followed its development and growth with great interest and enthusiasm, and I now consider it to be the premier journal in our field," Hitzenberger said. "By building on its strengths, my goal is to maintain this leadership position and to continue to attract the industry’s most innovative biomedical optics research."

As chief scientist, Gregory Quarles will be responsible for OSA's scientific infrastructure, including content development for OSA incubators, annual meetings and the establishment of partnerships with research laboratories around the world.

Quarles is a cofounder, board member and managing partner of Edgelight Inc. of Tucson, Ariz., a startup that develops wearable light therapy technology. He has also managed his own consulting firm as president and CEO of Opto-Electronic Management Network since 2013, specializing in the lasers and materials industry with primary focus on the defense, aerospace and nanomaterials sectors.

Previously Quarles served as CEO of B.E. Meyers & Co. Inc., a manufacturer of optoelectronic technology products used in defense and law enforcement.

OSA cited Quarles' work forging strategic partnerships with the federal government, industry and academia, as well as his involvement in materials research, specifically developing new laser devices for medical, military and industrial applications.

"Greg is well-known in the photonics community and has served as a society volunteer and leader for more than 30 years, making him well-suited to lead OSA's technical programs," said OSA CEO Elizabeth Rogan.

Quarles has a doctorate and master's degree in physics and a dual bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics from Oklahoma State University. He has served as assistant editor for Optical Engineering and the IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics.