Abbie Watnik
US Naval Research Laboratory, USAFor technical leadership at NRL in imaging through turbulence and scattering media, and for outstanding service to Optica.
Optica has been a hugely influential factor in Abbie Watnik’s career. As a graduate student, the opportunities to present her work at Optica conferences significantly increased her visibility as a researcher. Since then, she’s become deeply involved with the society, serving in various roles on committees and councils across the organization’s activities. She shares that one of the most essential parts of her relationship with Optica is the opportunity to network with colleagues across the optics field. Through Optica, she works with people worldwide and in different sectors, which allows her to see the complete picture of optics.
As Branch Head of the Optical Physics Branch at the Naval Research Laboratory, USA, she oversees a wide range of optics ideas and research tracks. Abbie’s background is in digital holography, and she is specifically interested in controlling light. She shares, “Digital holography gives us access to the phase of light, and then we use that to shape and correct or understand how we use that for image correction, phase correction, etc.” She and her team are currently exploring various aspects of this foundation, including light’s interaction with turbulence and scattering, using twisted light or orbital angular momentum, structured light, lidar systems, and much more. Abbie’s love for her job is apparent, and she emphasizes that she finds her work wonderfully rewarding.
Her favorite part of research is the very beginning of the brainstorming phase. The best parts of her job are when there is no limit to what could be done, and there are endless possibilities of “what is possible?” and “How could I do things better?” Then, hard work, determination, and perseverance must kick in to accomplish things. No matter how much she loves her work, she reminds us that it is important to have hobbies and other aspects of life that bring joy. Abbie enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and baseball, as demonstrated by a proud display of the bobblehead collection atop her desk in her office.
A hallmark of Abbie’s work and personal life is her community-building nature. She shares, “Being able to interface with people with different experiences helps me appreciate where I am and what I can do to help them.” At work, she surrounds herself with scientists of different backgrounds and research specialties, and at home, she looks to find people with unique life experiences. Community is an imperative aspect of life, and Abbie fosters that for herself, her family, and her colleagues.
As a woman in a male-dominated field, Abbie shares that people often assume that she must face significant obstacles in her career development. Instead, she feels that this has been an advantage. She shares, “As I am often the only woman in the room, people know who I am, so there can be some pressure. But I think, in general, I take it in stride.” Abbie is the first female Branch Head in her Division, and while the job can be challenging, she says that her ideas are always heard and considered. She has also had the support of her supervisors and informal mentors from across the NRL, who have shown her the ropes and offered helpful advice.
She gets to share her advice in her current role, and she encourages young scientists to consider options outside of just academia or industry. When considering a job after graduation, she called professionals at many different places to spend a day with them to see what life would be like. This way, Abbie could clearly envision the reality of a job in a large company or a defense contracting company. She also passes on essential advice she received: Publish your work! After all, how would people know about your fantastic work if you didn’t tell them?
Looking to the future, Abbie is excited about the opportunities within optics. As a scientist working in fundamental science, she appreciates how far optics research has come in just the last 50 years. Just as she loves the brainstorming aspect of research, she enjoys considering what the next 50 years in optics will bring. Abbie shares that a current hot topic with much promise is quantum optics, and one of her groups is dedicated to pursuing research in that area. Science communication is critical to ensuring that these types of projects continue to get funding, and scientific research, in general, is vital to share with the public. Abbie believes that Optica does a great job of emphasizing the importance of optics in our everyday lives, leading to the continued development of the field.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
Profile written by Samantha Hornback
