Dr Andrew Brown has joined SPIE as senior director for global business development.
As a long-time member of SPIE and other photonics organisations, Brown came to SPIE from Aculight Corporation, a laser development and manufacturing company near Seattle, WA. At Aculight, he held positions as principal scientist, marketing manager, and most recently, director of business development.
Brown succeeds Janice Gaines Walker in the senior director position at SPIE. Walker is retiring in July after 24 years with the society.
Previously, Brown held leadership positions at Falcon Medical, a medical instrumentation start-up company, and STI Optronics (formerly Spectra Technology) a laser research and development company.
Brown earned his PhD in physics from St Andrews University, MSc (with distinction) in optoelectronics and laser devices from Herriot-Watt University, and BSc (1st class) in physics from St Andrews University. He holds a certificate in not-for-profit management from the University of Washington, and served as executive director of a not-for-profit adult literacy organisation in Washington State.
Brown is also a member of DEPS, and has been chair of the DEPS Solid State and Diode Laser Technology Review (SSDLTR) meeting and served as the small business representative on its organising committee. He has been a member of the LIA technical committee for Pacific International Conference of Applications of Lasers and Optics (PICALO), and chaired the Laser Focus World Marketplace Forum special session on fibre lasers. He served on Washington State Congressman Jay Inslee’s Innovation Panel and Congressman Adam Smith’s Technical Advisory Council.
