Mr. Benjamin Q. Oliker - 2022 Optical Science and Engineering, (OSE) Best Dissertation Award Winner

Departmental News

Posted: May 13, 2022

Mr. Benjamin Q. Oliker - 2022 Optical Science and Engineering, (OSE) Best Dissertation Award Winner 

On behalf of the OSE Committee and program leadership, we are pleased to announce that Benjamin Q. Oliker is the winner of the 2022 OSE Best Dissertation Award. Congratulation for writing a manuscript that demonstrates academic scholarship and a dedication to research.  

Ben entered UNM and the Optical Science and Engineering program in the Fall of 2009 with a SMART scholarship through the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Ben was a member of the part-time OSE degree program.  For most of his tenure at UNM, Ben worked a full-time job and took a part-time load of classes each semester. He received his master's degree in 2012 and began his doctoral research in 2014 investigating diode-pumped alkali lasers (DPALs) with Dr. Rudolph at UNM and Dr. Pitz and Dr. Madden at AFRL. While in Dr. Rudolph's group, his list of refereed journal articles including refereed conference proceedings was over three (3) publications. Mr. Oliker graduated with his PhD degree in Optical Science and Engineering with distinction in the Spring of 2022. His dissertation manuscript was titled " Examination of Ionization in Cesium Diode Pumped Alkali Lasers with an Ion Chamber Diagnostic." The focus of his thesis was on optical science and engineering and laser physics and spectroscopy.

Ben began working at Ball Aerospace in Albuquerque in 2013 and later transitioned to the Colorado office. He is currently a senior optical engineer, guiding the development of optical systems on aircraft and satellite platforms, and continuing his collaboration with AFRL on high energy laser research. Now that his educational pursuits have completed, Ben is excited about having more time to explore the mountains with his wife and daughters. 

Congratulations, Dr. Oliker!