Optica Adds to Leadership, Board
Optica has added four members to its board of directors. Alexander Gaeta of Columbia University was elected by Optica’s membership to serve as 2026 Optica Vice President. Thomas Brown of the University of Rochester; Kaoru Minoshima of the University of Electro-Communications in Japan; and Marisa Edmund of Edmund Optics will serve as 2026-2028 Optica Directors at Large.
Gaeta has spent nearly four decades researching quantum and nonlinear photonics. His involvement with Optica, which began when he was a graduate student, has led to numerous volunteer positions. He was the founding editor-in-chief of the journal Optica; has organized conferences as a general co-chair for CLEO and Frontiers in Optics + Laser Science; and served on the board of directors from 2008–2010. He currently serves as chair of the organization's strategic planning council. Gaeta is co-founder of silicon photonics startup Xscape Photonics.
Thomas Brown is a professor of optics and director of the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester. He served on the editorial board of Optics Express and as program co-chair of the Centennial Celebration in 2016.
Kaoru Minoshima is professor, vice-president, and deputy member of the board of directors at the University of Electro-Communications. She has held committee roles on various meetings including Frontiers in Optics + Laser Science, CLEO-Pacific Rim and CLEO, in which she served as general co-chair. She is currently an associate editor of Optica.
Marisa Edmund, chairman of the board and CEO of Edmund Optics, has been appointed as a director at large for the 2026-2028 term. Throughout her tenure at Edmund Optics, she has driven transformative growth in marketing strategies, brand development, product technology and manufacturing capabilities. Under her leadership, the company has expanded globally, growing to more than 1300 employees.
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