Fellow Judith F. Donnelly holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Tufts University and a Master of Science degree from the University of Connecticut, USA.

As an educator her whole career, Donnelly's best-known achievement is her development of the Laser and Fiber Optic Technology Associate Degree program at Three Rivers Community College, USA, in 1997. Her life's work has revolved around bringing physics and optics curriculum into middle and high school math and science classes and creating workshops in the field for students.

She has also worked on several research projects funded by grants from the National Science Foundation. Donnelly is a Fellow and Senior Member of the Society, a senior member of SPIE, and has served on many committees and boards for each society. She received the Esther Hoffman Beller Medal in 2012.