Optica Women Scholars
Foundation
Optica Women Scholars
Empowering the next generation of women leaders in optics and photonics.
Program Prize
- US$10,000
- One-year Optica Student Membership
- Access to mentorship platform and connection with a mentor
Foundation
20 Optica Women Scholars are selected annually and receive a merit and need-based grant. In addition to the funding, scholars gain access to our global network of mentors and the supporting companies.
2026 Recipients
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Paige Beltz Texas A&M
University, USA
University, USA
Mariana Isabel Cayeros Parra
Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico
Abby ChapmanUniversity of Prince
Edward Island, Canada
Anabel Chen Weizmann Institute ofScience, Israel
Ruth Kooaka
Dorgbaa
University of Nigeria
Nsukka, Nigeria
Charlotte FingerLudwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
Parnian Ghapandar Kashani University of California,
Los Angeles, USA
Hannah Patricia
Gonzales
University College
Dublin, Ireland
Patricia GonzálezPiquero
Complutense University
of Madrid, Spain
Amanda Huang
Cornell University, USA
Natasha KarlikDuquesne
University, USA
Parisa Kashi Ruhr University
Bochum, Germany
Zeynep EceKorkmaz
Hacettepe University,
Turkey
Natalia Carolina LaraDavila
Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano,
Colombia
Colombia
Jia Yi Lian
OTH Regensburg,
Germany & Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
Larissa
Luna-González
Universidad Nacional
Autónoma de México,
Mexico
Aylin OrejarenaOspino
Universidad del
Atlántico, Colombia
Marta RodríguezLorenzo
Universidade de
Santiago de Compostela,
Spain
Yu-Chen Tseng Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
Camille Unger Universidade Federal do
Paraná, Brazil
Contributors
Founders US$100,000+
Contributors US$10,000+
Selection Committee
| Name | Affiliation | Country | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janet S Fender | UNITED STATES | Chair | |
| Imrana Ashraf | Quaid-I-Azam University | PAKISTAN | Member |
| Lisa Bickford | Google LLC | UNITED STATES | Member |
| Frank Chang | UNITED STATES | Member | |
| Prathmesh Deshmukh | Reality Labs Research,Meta Platforms Inc | UNITED STATES | Member |
| Danuta M Sampson | Lions Eye Institute | AUSTRALIA | Member |
| Lydia Sanmarti | ICFO -Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques | SPAIN | Member |
| Hui Su | Corning Inc. | UNITED STATES | Member |
| Anna Tatarczak | Coherent Corp | UNITED STATES | Member |
| Olivia Frances Wheeler-Williams | Edmund Optics Inc. | UNITED STATES | Member |
