21 - 24 September, 2024
Colorado Convention Center
Denver, Colorado USA
Events
Sterling Backus
Thorlabs Inc.
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About the Speaker
Dr. Sterling Backus is well known as a pioneering developer of new ultrafast laser technologies. He ran the research department as Chief Scientific Officer for KMLabs Inc. (Ultrafast laser manufacturer) for 16 years. Part of the business was acquired by Thorlabs in Oct 2019 where he now works as an advanced research scientist. Sterling is also a research professor in the ECE Department at Colorado State University. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees, in Physics and a PhD in Engineering Science from Washington State University in 1996. His work is in the area of high peak-and-average power ultrafast Ti:sapphire lasers, developed the use of cryogenic cooling for ultrafast laser systems, non-linear optics, high harmonic generation, and attosecond science. Sterling is a Fellow of Optica, a U.S. Army infantry veteran, an SPIE Edgerton Award recipient, and has served on program committees for numerous conferences in the field. He was program chair, general chair, steering chair for CLEO, and member of the Optica Meetings Counsel. In addition, Sterling has served as chair for the Optica David Richardson Medal, and SPIE Edgerton Award. He is also a #STEAM promoter in K-12 to seed the future of science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
