Gregory Quarles
CEO, Applied Energetics Inc.
From Physicist to CEO
The goal of my presentation will be to give you a glimpse of my 30 plus years in industrial positions and some of the skills and opportunities that are needed for success in pursuing your dreams. These topics will include willingness and skill at pivoting in your research, coping with hearing no, learning how to say no, the necessity of setting boundaries, developing the ability to hone soft skills such as your elevator pitch, and expanding your education to learn critical areas, including finance and marketing. It has been a wonderful and exciting journey for me, and I look forward to sharing how you too can become a leader in industry with your optics and photonics degrees.
The goal of my presentation will be to give you a glimpse of my 30 plus years in industrial positions and some of the skills and opportunities that are needed for success in pursuing your dreams...
About the Speaker
Dr. Gregory Quarles was hired in May 2019 as the CEO and Board member for Tucson-based Applied Energetics, Inc, a recognized leading company developing ultrashort-pulse lasers, frequency agile optical sources, and laser guided energy technologies. He was subsequently named President and CEO in 2020. Greg had previously served on the AE Scientific Advisory Board. Prior to joining Applied Energetics, Dr. Quarles served as the Chief Scientific Officer for Optica (formerly the Optical Society of America) since November of 2015. He is an experienced Chief Executive Officer, Board Member and renowned physicist with 25 years of experience driving cutting-edge laser, optics, nanopowder, directed energy devices, and photonics technology development and operations within advanced industrial companies. Greg is a globally recognized leader for his strategic partnerships with the Department of Defense, the U.S. Congress, and his innovative work developing new laser devices for medical, national security, and industrial applications. He has also spent the past fifteen years interacting with global leaders in the optics, photonics, and academic communities discussing policy opportunities. Greg has been awarded five patents related to his research in solid-state lasers, has twelve pending, and has published over 130 peer-reviewed and conference publications. Dr. Quarles has been a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Sensors and Instrumentation Technical Advisory Committee (SITAC) since 2015.
Earlier in his career, Greg was a founder, COO and Managing Partner of EdgeLight Incorporated, a start-up enterprise pioneering wearable light therapy in Tucson, AZ. He has also managed his own consulting firm since 2013, as President and CEO of Opto-Electronics Management Network. Prior to starting this consulting business, Greg served as the CEO at B.E. Meyers & Co., Inc., and was Director of Corporate Research, Development and Technology for II-VI Incorporated, from 2002 -2010. His previous experience includes serving on eight Corporate and not-for-profit Boards, including the Optica Board of Directors, working at II-VI Incorporated for 18 years, and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory for 5 years. Dr. Quarles is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and holds a Ph.D. and MS in Physics, and a dual BS in Math and Physics. He has served as Assistant Editor for both Optical Engineering and the IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics and is a Fellow of both the Optica and SPIE and a Senior Member of IEEE.
Dr. Gregory Quarles was hired in May 2019 as the CEO and Board member for Tucson-based Applied Energetics, Inc, a recognized leading company developing ultrashort-pulse lasers, frequency agile...