2025 Student Leadership
26-28 Oct 2025 | Denver, CA, USA
Bringing together student leaders from around the world for an immersive training and networking experience in conjunction with Frontiers in Optics.
What is Student Leadership?
The Student Leadership Experience is a program that brings together 100 student members from around the world. This training occurs in conjunction with Optica's annual conference, Frontiers in Optics (FiO), and serves as a fantastic way for students to immerse themselves in an environment full of professional development and technical content, networking, and fun.
Student attendees will hear from world-renowned lecturers who focus on topics such as:
- Which Path To Choose - The benefits of Academia and Industry
- Marketing Yourself Successfully - A discussion on highlighting yourself in a job interview and perfecting your resume
- Giving The Perfect Presentation
- Utilizing Science To Impact the Community
- Making The Most Out Of Your Optica Membership
- Leveraging Your Student Chapter To Maximize Impact
- Taking The Leap From Student to Early Career Professional - strategies and guidance from those who have recently made the leap
- And many, many more...
In addition, students experience an atmosphere for engaging one another to discuss their own career trajectories, challenges faced, and ideas for successfully overcoming those challenges.
Program Speakers
Christina Willis
Director of External and Legislative Affairs, Infleqtion
Milvia Alata
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Isabel Allegro
Jenoptik Optical Systems GmbH
Fabian Ruf
ZEISS
Andrea Pacheco
Politecnico di Milano
Neda Baktash
Coherent Corp
Claire Cisowski
University of Glasgow, UK
Begüm Kabagöz
MIT Kavli Institute
Diana Mojahed
Lightfinder
Justus Ndukaife
Vanderbilt University
Olivia Wheeler-Williams
Edmund Optics
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Schedule
Sunday, 26 October
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7:30 – 8:30
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Breakfast
This will be a joint breakfast between attendees of Student Leadership and Amplify
Mile High Ballroom – 2C
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8:30 - 9:00
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Welcome by Elizabeth Nolan, Optica CEO (8:30 - 8:45)
and Olivia Wheeler-Williams, 2025 Optica Ambassador (8:45 - 9:00)
Mile High Ballroom – 2A/3A
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09:00 - 10:45
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Sustainable Networking by Christina Willis, Virtuous Cycles LLC and Infleqtion
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10:45 - 11:15
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Break (with Group Photo)
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11:15 - 12:00
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Uncharted Paths: Navigating Career Growth with Curiosity and Courage by Fae Gholami, Chief Architect for Data Center Connectivity and Principal Product Manager, IBM
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12:00 - 13:00
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Lunch with Optica Foundation Board
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13:15 - 14:00
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Workshops Sessions I, Optica Ambassadors
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Resonate with the Right Employer: Foundations for Well-Tuned Job Applications
Facilitator: Olivia Wheeler-Williams
Mile High Ballroom – 2A/3A
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From Idea to Impact: Navigating Grants, Prizes & Project Funding
Facilitator: Andrea Pacheco
Mile High Ballroom – 1A
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Write Proposals like an Engineer
Facilitator: Ben Cromey
Mile High Ballroom – 1B
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14:00 - 14:10
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Break
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14:10- 14:55
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Workshops Sessions II, Optica Ambassadors
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Set Yourself Up for Success in Academia
Facilitator: Claire Cisowski
Mile High Ballroom – 1A
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Focusing Your Future: Navigating Your Transition from Academia to Industry
Facilitators: Fabian Ruff and Isabel Allegro
Mile High Ballroom – 2A/3A
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Design Your Career: Build it Through Experience
Facilitator: Milvia Alata
Mile High Ballroom – 1B
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14:55 - 15:05
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Break
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15:05 - 15:50
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Workshops Sessions III, Optica Ambassadors
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Laser-Focused Speaking: Communicate with Impact
Facilitator: Justus Ndukaife
Mile High Ballroom – 2A/3A
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Think Like a Leader: Unlocking Your Leadership Mindset
Facilitator: Diana Mojahed
Mile High Ballroom – 1A
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Fail Forward: Nagivating Challenges in Early Career Research
Facilitator: Begum Kabagoz
Mile High Ballroom – 1B
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16:00 - 17:00
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Gravitational Waves: Opening a New Window to the Universe by Nergis Mavalvala, Dean of the MIT School of Science and Curtis and Kathleen Marble Professor of Astrophysics
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17:00 - 17:30
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Closing by Olivia Wheeler-Williams 2025 Optica Ambassador
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17:30 - 18:30
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Dinner/Student Party at Rock Bottom Brewery
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