Optical Society of America names Zhi Liao senior member

Zhi Liao has been named a senior member of the Optical Society of America (OSA), an international society for optics and photonics scientists, engineers, educators and business leaders. Senior membership status recognizes members with more than 10 years of significant experience and professional accomplishments or service in their fields.

Liao, a research scientist in Lawrence Livermore's National Ignition Facility and Photon Science Directorate (NIF&PS), received the elevated status in recognition of his contributions to optics research and service to the optics community.

"This is a great honor and I am very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time," Liao said. "Working at LLNL with unbelievably dedicated colleagues has taught me so much in so many ways." 

Liao received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in optical engineering from the University of Rochester before joining LLNL in 2001. His research expertise is in nonlinear optics, adaptive optics and laser-induced optic damage.  He has contributed to many of LLNL's successful laser projects, including the Fiber Laser Guide Star, Alkali Laser, Advanced Radiographic Capability, the Mercury Laser and NIF. Currently, Liao is developing models for predicting optic lifetime for NIF. 

Since 2005, Liao has been serving as the director for the NIF summer scholar's program, which includes the highly-rated NIF Summer Scholar's Seminar series -- a series of talks and tours that introduces summer interns to some of the most advanced and exciting research at NIF. In addition, he also has developed a number of laser demonstrations for NIF that have been successfully displayed at the Lawrence Hall of Science, AAAS LaserFest 2010, local Bay Area schools and other events.

"Being able to start my career working on NIF is an incredible blessing," he said. "How many people can say that they are working on a world-class science and technology facility that will change the world for the better?"

The OSA consists of more than 18,500 members from 175 countries, working to promote the science of light and the advanced technologies made possible by optics and photonics.