2025 Women in Optics notebook

The first Women in Optics planner was produced in 2005 and highlighted the achievements, expertise, and contributions of women in the field of optics and photonics, raising their visibility within our community.

Our goal was to bring these leaders out of the shadows and into the light. We hoped to increase the representation of women by sharing their stories with others.

Twenty years later, the Women in Optics planner has had a far greater impact than we could have imagined. It’s not only brought needed exposure to women in science and engineering, but it’s also provided apt role models for people around the world. It has instilled confidence and ambition in readers, showing them, through stories, that there is a place in the field for them. And it has showcased the diverse pathways and opportunities available in optics and photonics while illustrating how women have played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of our field.

The momentum continues to build. A lot has changed over the past two decades (like the use of printed planners!), but the value of the Women in Optics notebook remains the same.

As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of this publication, let us draw inspiration from the accomplishments of the past 20 years. Let us channel our collective energy toward building a future where all innovators, including women and underrepresented people, stand together on the same, brightly lit stage of scientific discovery.

Allison Romanyshyn
SPIE Senior Director of Community Engagement, Chief Inclusion Officer
Producer of the original Women in Optics Planner

Prior to 2005, my visibility had been limited to places such as laboratories, classrooms, scientific publications, and scientific conferences. I had showcased my physics discoveries in many ways — and to varied audiences — but being profiled in the inaugural Women in Optics planner was the first time that my work and my story had been presented on such a platform. I was proud and honored to be featured in the planner, surrounded by other women who had made indelible contributions to optics and photonics.

Women have continued to have a tremendous impact on our field. Over the past 20 years, women have been instrumental in developing advanced imaging techniques, improving laser technology, making breakthroughs in photonic materials and devices, innovating optical communications, promoting progress in biophotonics and biomedical optics, advancing quantum optics and quantum information science, and much more.

Women continue to play a vital role in shaping the future of our field through their research, leadership, and innovation. I am in awe of both the early trailblazers as well as the rising generations that pave the future of optics and photonics.

I still have that same sense of honor and pride that I had 20 years ago as I look at our 2025 cohort highlighted in the Women in Optics notebook. May we continue championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work, and may we continue ensuring that the contributions of women — and all underrepresented groups — are recognized, valued, and celebrated.

Happy 20th anniversary!

María Yzuel
Professor Emeritus at the Autonomous University of Barcelona
Featured in the 2005 Women in Optics Planner
2009 SPIE President