Nathan Bickel earned his Ph.D. degree in Optics from CREOL, The College of Optics and Photonics at the University of Central Florida in 2010. His research focused on advancements in chip level integration methods and the development of photonic device components incorporating III-V quantum well and quantum dot nanostructures. Additional interests include the development of micro- and nanofabrication processes, silicon photonics, and defect engineering in semiconductors.  He holds both a B.S. and an M.S. in Optics from the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester, awarded in 1998 and 1999 respectively. He was subsequently employed as a Lead Optical Manufacturing Engineer for Silicon Valley Group Lithography (later ASML) in Connecticut from 2000 to 2002. Following his doctoral studies, Dr. Bickel worked as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at UCF through 2010. Afterwards, he joined BinOptics Corporation as a Process Development Engineer. Currently he is employed as a Senior Optical Engineer at MACOM focusing on product development for both internal and external customers.