Simmons-Potter photo 125x148Dr. Kelly Simmons-Potter is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Optical Sciences, and Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ.  She also serves as the Director of the Arizona Research Institute for Solar Energy (AzRISE) at the University of Arizona.  Dr. Simmons-Potter received her B.S. in Physics in 1986 from Florida State University and her M.S. and Ph.D. in 1990 and 1994 respectively in Optical Sciences from the University of Arizona.  She spent nearly 10 years at Sandia National Laboratories, from 1994 to 2003, ending in the position of Principal Member of Technical Staff and Project Manager for Advanced Optical Technologies.  In 2003, she left Sandia Labs to return to academia at the U.A.  Dr. Simmons-Potter is the co-author of three text books in the field of optics, has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed journal and conference publications, has delivered more than 100 scholarly presentations, and holds several patents.  

In 1995 she was awarded the Norbert J. Kreidl Award from the ACerS Glass and Optical Materials Division for her work in the field of photosensitive optical materials, and in 2005 and 2012 she was honored by the Hardened Electronics and Radiation Technology Society with Outstanding Paper of the Year awards for her work in radiation-hardened optical materials.  Dr. Simmons-Potter’s service within ACerS is extensive and spans from 1997 to present.  It, notably, includes her recent four years on the Executive Committee of GOMD, culminating in Chair of the Division in 2012-2013.