My interest in optics started in high school. I was fascinated by the way lenses formed images and how different configurations of lenses could create different image locations and sizes. After receiving a B.S. and M.S. in Physics from Florida Institute of Technology, I pursued a Ph.D. in Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona. I graduated with a Ph.D. from the U of A in September of 1978. My dissertation topic involved remotely sensing atmospheric particulates using a LIDAR system and inferring the particle size distribution from measurements of the polarization state of angularly scattered radiation. Although my dissertation was based on the electromagnetic aspects of light and the mathematical inversion processes used to obtain estimates of particle size distributions, I maintained an interest in the more "engineering" aspects of optics including optical system design and analysis, lens design, aberration theory and optical image evaluation. Hence, while I enjoy the theory and applications of electromagnetics at optical frequencies, I also enjoy the design of optical instrumentation necessary for experimentation.

My current research interests center around the propagation of electromagnetic waves, and their interaction with materials, surfaces, and structures. I specifically enjoy the analysis and design of systems that either measure the polarization properties of a wave, or are sensitive to the polarization properties of an incident wave. I also enjoy developing devices and systems that modify the polarization state of a wave in a specific manner. My interest in polarization has led me to study ellipsometry and, more recently, scatterometry, both the theory behind these measurement techniques and the instrumentation that is used to implement them.

During my retirement, I plan to investigate some of those topics that I wasn't fully able to pursue up to the present, such as, the physical basis of negative refractive index materials, alternate methods for inversion of scatterometric data, and further designs for freqency selective surfaces.