Abbie T Watnik

Abbie Watnik is Head of the Optical Physics Branch in the Optical Sciences Division at the Naval Research Laboratory. Watnik manages personnel and programs within a diverse research portfolio of basic and applied optical physics, with topics in optical nanomaterials, laser-based imaging and sensing, quantum optics and semiconductor optoelectronics. Her research expertise is specifically in computational imaging, digital holography, orbital angular momentum and wavefront sensing. She is recipient of several awards including: 2019 Sigma Xi Young Investigator Award, 2017 and 2018 ARPAD awards and the 2016 Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers Award for Emergent Scientist Investigators, an award recognizing the Department of the Navy’s scientists who have made significant contributions to their field. She was elected an Optica Fellow in 2024.