Prof. Satoshi Kawata received his BSc, Msc, and PhD all in Applied Physics in 1974, 76, and 79, respectively, from Osaka University. After the experience of postdoctral fellow of JSPS, he spent two years in University of California, at Irvine as a Research Associate. He joined Osaka University as a faculty member in 1981 and was promoted to Professor of Applied Physics in 1993, and then became the Distinguished Professor. He has been also the Professor of Departments of Frontier Bioscience and Information Sciences. In 2002 he joined RIKEN as a Chief Scientist as a Head of Nanophotonics Laboratory until his retirement in 2012. He has been also a Team Leader of RIKEN till 2015. Professor Kawata is now the Professor Emeritus of Osaka University and a Honorary Scientist of RIKEN. He has served as the President of JSAP (Japan Society of Applied Physics) from 2014 to 2016, and the President of Spectroscopical Society of Japan from 2007 to 2008, an served as number of societies as Directors of Board and Chairs. He is a Fellow of OSA, IOP, SPIE, and JSAP.

Dr. Willis is a laser scientist with extensive experience in optics and novel high power laser development, with degrees in physics and optics from Wellesley College and the College of Optics at the University of Central Florida. She became involved with SPIE as a graduate student, has served as student chapter officer, Chair of the Student and Early Career Professional Ad Hoc Committee, and is currently an elected SPIE Director (2017-2019).

Catherine G.P. Berdanier is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from The University of South Dakota, her M.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering and Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University. Her research interests include graduate-level engineering education, including inter- and multidisciplinary graduate education, online engineering cognition and learning, and engineering communication. Her work has been published in Journal of Engineering Education, International Journal of Engineering Education, Advances in Engineering Education, Transactions on Professional Communication, and in a variety of other venues. Her teaching interests include thermodynamics and graduate level academic engineering writing, and she has led multiple writing workshops for graduate students outside of the classroom to teach academic writing and communication competencies.