Photonics for a Better World

"With my lasers!" SPIE's Faces of Photonics series is sharing the story of Dr. Hannah Williams! Hannah recently graduated from Imperial College London after completing her thesis on ultracold molecules . She now continues that research as a postdoctoral research associate in the College's Centre for Cold Matter. Along with her postdoc work,  Hannah recently announced via Twitter that she is a Doctoral Prize Research Fellow for The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. This recognition is yet another achievement to add to her impressive list of accomplishments, which includes organizing and leading events such as the Gamechangers for Diversity in STEM event held recently at the Alan Turing Institute in London, of which SPIE was a sponsor. Enjoy the interview with Hannah, and be sure to follow her on Twitter . During her PhD, Hannah spent two months conducting research at Columbia University 1. Tell us about when you first became intereste...

"Naturally, a deep-UV spectroscopy lab has to have  cool purple lights." -Joby This week on the SPIE Faces of Photonics series, we interviewed UK native Joseph Razzell Hollis. Joseph, better known as Joby, is a postdoc at NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), working on the Mars 2020 rover mission. His passions include knitting, Raman microscopy, and advocating for greater LGBT+ inclusivity in STEM. He is a trustee for Pride in STEM , an award-nominated charitable trust that supports LGBT+ people in the STEM field. In addition, you can find Joby tweeting from the @LGBT_Physics account , which celebrates diversity in science. Enjoy the interview with Joby, and don't forget to follow him on Twitter! 1. Tell us about when you first became interested in optics and photonics. I studied chemistry as an undergraduate, and it was synthesising quantum dots that made me realise the incredible beauty of how atoms and light interact. It was all downhill from there! I quickly be...