Invited Speaker

Nicole A. Pfiester is an Assistant Professor in Physics and Optical Engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT) in Terre Haute, IN. Prior to that, she was a President’s Postdoctoral Scholar at the Ohio State University. Dr. Pfiester is an interdisciplinary scientist, with degrees in physics, electrical engineering, and materials science engineering. She has published work on thermophotovoltaics, infrared photodetectors, and optical properties of materials. Her present research interests include creating nanostructured materials with properties not seen in nature to improve the performance of cameras and sensors. Dr. Pfiester has received several awards for her work, including selection as a 2020 SPIE Defense and Commercial Sensing Rising Researcher and a 2020 Mistletoe Research Fellow. She is also passionate about helping undergraduate students pursue their scientific ideas, often delving into nanotechnology production and applications and helping all students, regardless of major field of study, see themselves as scientists.