the optical society, foundation...
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The Optical Society, Foundation Fellowship
APPLICATION
Applicant Last or Family Name Akondi
First Name Vyas
Middle Name
Maiden Name (if applicable)
Phone
+34 915 616 800
CURRENT Address
Institution address:
Visual Optics and Biophotonics Lab, Calle Serrano 121.
City
Madrid State / Province
Madrid
Zip (Postal) Code
28006 Country
Spain
CITIZENSHIP
Country of Citizenship
India
Current Immigration Status
B1/B2
Date Status Expires
11 June 2023
If you are a naturalized US citizen, enter your naturalization date. Date Month/Day/Year
-
EDUCATION HISTORY Institution Name Degree/Discipline Date Awarded (Month/Year)
1) Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, India
B.Sc. (Honours in Physics)
2004
2) Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, India
M.Sc. (Physics)
2006
3) Indian Institute of Science, India
Ph.D.
2012
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Employer Position Inclusive Dates
1) School of Physics, University College Dublin, Ireland
Post Doctoral Research Fellow
14/03/2012 – 31/08/2014
2) Institute of Optics (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
Senior Post Doctoral Research Fellow
22/12/2014 – present (cont'd) HONORS AND AWARDS
Honor or Award Sponsoring Organization or Institution Date Awarded (Month/Year)
1) Outstanding Reviewer Award
Optical Society of America
2016
2) OSA Traveling lecturer (since May 2016)
Optical Society of America
2016
3) Presider - session at 100th OSA FiO 2016
Optical Society of America
2016
4) Outstanding Reviewer Status
Elsevier
2015
5) M+Vision Fellowship
EU COFUND and Communidad Madrid
2014
6) Robert S. Hilbert Memorial
Optical Society of America and Optical Research Associates
2011
7) OSA Foundation travel grant
Optical Society of America
2011
Honor or Award Sponsoring Organization or Institution Date Awarded (Month/Year)
8) CSIR Foreign Travel grant
CSIR, India
2011
9) Silver medal - best paper PEIE 2011
ACEEE, India
2011
10) Semifinal Nomination - SPIE best paper
SPIE
2010
11) SPIE student travel grant
SPIE
2010
12) Second best paper award
Bharathidasan University Technology Park and Cauvery College for Women,
Tiruchirappalli, India
2009
13) First Prize in the session Data Mining
Bharathidasan University Technology Park and Cauvery College for Women,
Tiruchirappalli, India
2009
14) Award of Lectureship in Physics
CSIR-UGC, India
2006
15) Qualified Graduate Aptitude Test-Physics
MHRD, India
2006
16) Award of Junior Research Fellowship
CSIR-UGC, India
2005
17) JN Sapru Award (INR 48,000 + Gold medal)
Bhadrachalam Public School, India
2001
18) Gayathri Meritorious Award (INR 4,000)
Bhadrachalam Public School, India
2000
REFERENCES Enter the names, titles, and professional addresses of three (3) references who will be writing a letter for you.
Reference’s Name (including title) Reference’s Complete Professional Mailing Address Reference’s E-mail Address
1) Prof. Susana Marcos
Calle Serrano 121, Instituto de Optica (CSIC), Madrid 28006, Spain.
2) Dr. Brian Vohnsen
School of Physics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
3) Prof. S. Chatterjee
Flat 303, Ganesh Residency No 55, 4th Main Road, 13th Cross Malleswaram, Bangalore 560003. (Opposite Government Junior College for Girls).
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION This information is used by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine as well as sponsors to process awards. Optional information on race and ethnicity is for statistical purposes. This information is not seen by reviewers or OSAF management.
Date of Birth (Month/Day/Year)
Place of Birth (City, State/Province, Country)
Sex
Marital Status
Race
Ethnicity
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY Enter the information for the sponsor company and research opportunity to which you are applying.
Sponsoring Company Name Opportunity Title Opportunity Number
Thorlabs
High Resolution Multi-photon Imaging
OSAFF.TL.3
Statement of Purpose – Vyas Akondi I am writing to apply for the OSA Foundation Fellowship at Thorlabs with the Research Opportunity title – High resolution Multi-photon imaging (OSAFF.TL.3, Location: Sterling, VA). In March 2004, I was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Physics by the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam, India. I passed with a cumulative grade point average of 4.70 out of 5.00 (equivalently 85%). Later I continued to pursue the degree of Master of Science in Physics there during June 2004 to March 2006. I passed with a cumulative grade point average of 4.96 out of 5.00 (equivalently 98%). After qualifying the national entrance examination in the physics category (GATE) and a personal interview, I was selected for the Joint Astronomy Programme of the Indian Institute of Science. From August 2006 to July 2007, I took seven mandatory courses in astronomy including a course on astronomical telescopes and instrumentation. I worked on my Ph.D. thesis problem from August 2007 to February 2012 at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, India. I was awarded the Ph.D. degree in Physics at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India in December, 2012. Starting March 2012 and until August 2014, I worked as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Advanced Optical Imaging Group, School of Physics, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. I am currently working (since December 2014) as a Senior Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Institute of Optics (CSIC), Madrid, Spain and the recepient of the Advanced M+Vision Fellowship cofunded by the Community of Madrid and People Programme (Marie Curie actions) of the European Union. Broadly, my research interests include adaptive optics applied to astronomy, vision science and microscopy. I am specialized in the area of wavefront sensing approaches for microscopy, vision and astronomy applications. This fellowship opportunity at Thorlabs is interesting and matches well with my research interests. I strongly believe that I will be greatly benefitting from the experience at Thorlabs on building optical imaging devices. This opportunity will provide me a chance to use my knowledge and experience in the implementation of adaptive optics for microscopy and building advanced high resolution biomedical imaging systems. My long-term career goal is to establish my own research group in optical nanoscopy. My primary research project is to design novel wavefront sensing methods for adaptive optics and to develop advanced wavefront sensing algorithms essential to imaging applications. I built a closed-loop adaptive optics system based on a single transmitting spatial light modulator for ophthalmic applications during my stay in Dublin. Among the recently published works, the proposed digital pyramid wavefront sensor eliminates the need for mechanically moving parts as required for its conventional counterpart and yet retains its high sensitivity and dynamic range properties. Related, the proposed tuneable digital phase-shifting point diffraction interferometer, demonstrated with the help of a transmitting spatial light modulator allows tuneability as well. Centroiding noise in a Hartmann Shack wavefront sensor is a cause of concern in vision applications. I analysed the performance of different spot centroiding methods while sensing the prominent myopia in the presence of photon noise and readout noise. The superiority of the wavefront curvature sensor in sensing the low-order dominant myopia was shown, while co-supervising a graduate student from India and in collaboration with Dr. Steve Weddell, University of Canterbury. The usefulness of the liquid crystal spatial light modulator in comparison with a deformable mirror as wavefront corrector have been experimentally demonstrated in a signal based wavefront sensing system, while co-supervising a graduate student in Dublin. We evaluated the optimal pinhole size that should be used in a signal based wavefront sensor for microscopy. I developed a novel method of phase unwrapping based on virtual wavefront sensors. I would like to mention that my research efforts in Madrid, Spain led to the co-founding of a startup company 2Eyes Vision, SL (NACE code 7211) in the year 2015. I was successful in evaluating the temporal
profile in a time-multiplexed simultaneous vision simulator for prospective cataract surgery patients. I developed a method for evaluating the true wavefront aberrations in eyes implanted with a rotationally asymmetric multifocal intraocular lens. The large number of publications has given me an opportunity to become a reviewer of several highly reputed optics journals. I was selected for the 2016 OSA Outstanding Reviewer Award. I received the Robert Hilbert memorial travel grant for two of my conference papers presented in an Optical Society of America (OSA) adaptive optics meeting. I was a recipient of travel grants from OSA, SPIE and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India. On three occasions, my research was selected for best paper awards in international conferences. I strongly believe that my knowledge of optical design, image processing tools, numerical simulations and educational background will make me a very competitive candidate for this position. The key advantages that I possess for success in this position include: (a) experience working with Hartmann-Shack, curvature, pyramid, signal-based wavefront sensors, point diffraction interferometer, deformable mirrors and spatial light modulators, (b) strong collaborative attitude and experience working in two different internationally reputed research groups, (c) hands on experience with most optical components required to build high-resolution optical imaging systems, (d) strong computational and programming skills including my experience in developing Matlab codes, for instance, to test wavefront sensing concepts based on fast Fourier transforms, use of Zemax to understand and evaluate performance of presbyopia-correcting multifocal intraocular lenses in computer eye models, (e) experience in independently working with adaptive optics control algorithms, (f) collaborative experience with industry and academia, (g) good publication record, writing and communication skills, (h) international recognition via awards and travel grants. I work well within the deadlines, be it my own work or any other collaborative work, which is evident from the number of research publications over the years. I assure you that if selected for this position, I will commit myself to the research, actively take part in the developmental activities within the collaboration, and play a vital role in the company, following the directives of the organization. The series of lectures to high school students during Ph.D. has provoked me to groom my teaching abilities. During my Ph.D., I supervised 4 Master’s projects. One of the projects led to an OSA conference publication. In the final stages of my Ph.D., I gave several invited lectures on adaptive optics and astronomy. As a Post-Doctoral researcher in Dublin, I co-supervised two Ph.D. students and assisted Dr. Brian Vohnsen in teaching the Bachelor’s course ‘Fields, Waves and Light’ at School of Physics, University College Dublin. I am aware of the research interests and developments at Thorlabs, more so about the various imaging devices due to my interests in biomedical imaging. I am keen to learn and investigate current problems in multi-photon imaging and I consider this position as a wonderful opportunity for me to gain further experience in building high-resolution biomedical imaging systems for this purpose. I am strongly motivated to submit patents and publish the results of my research work in high impact journals. Kindly contact me for additional information. You can reach me any time via email at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Summary of Previous Research
The following sections, arranged in reverse chronological order give details about previous research projects (last 6 years alone presented here due to space constraints). 1. Temporal profile for a tunable lens based simultaneous vision simulator Temporal multiplexing with fast tunable lenses has shown the potential in portable vision simulators of multifocal corrections. I evaluated the temporal profile required to simulate various multifocal corrections, and demonstrated its compliance with through-focus optical predictions of the simulated physical IOL in the eye. The method was tested on 4 different kinds of multifocal intraocular designs, namely - diffractive, smooth refractive, segmented refractive and extended depth of focus. The theoretical quality of representing a given intraocular lens is high, and in practice should mostly be limited by the time response specifications of the tunable lens. 2. Wavefront sensing in eyes with a multifocal intraocular lens The direct evaluation of ocular aberrations from wavefront slope measurements in patients implanted with a rotationally asymmetric multifocal IOL, the Lentis MPlus (Oculentis), results in a large magnitude of primary vertical coma. In this study, a method is proposed to appropriately analyze aberrometry data, allowing disentangling the IOL power pupillary distribution from the subject's ocular aberrations. A new method for wavefront reconstruction was developed that uses retinal spot diagrams obtained at the near and far foci. The method was tested using ray tracing optical simulations on a computer model eye virtually implanted with the Lentis MPlus IOL, with a generic cornea or with real anterior segment geometry and biometry obtained from quantitative spectral optical coherence tomography in a real patient. The method was used to reconstruct true wavefront aberrations from laser ray tracing aberrometry data at near and far fixation obtained in a patient implanted with the IOL. 3. Phase unwrapping with virtual wavefront sensing The use of a spatial light modulator for implementing a digital phase-shifting (PS) point diffraction interferometer (PDI) allows tunability in fringe spacing and in achieving PS without the need for mechanically moving parts. However, a small amount of detector or scatter noise could affect the accuracy of wavefront sensing. Novel methods of phase unwrapping incorporating a virtual Hartmann-Shack (HS) wavefront sensor or a virtual pyramid wavefront sensor are proposed that allows easy tuning of several wavefront sensor parameters. The proposed method was tested and compared with a Fourier unwrapping. Through simulation studies, the superiority of the proposed virtual HS and virtual pyramid wavefront sensor phase unwrapping methods is shown in comparison with the Fourier unwrapping method. It is shown that optimal modulation amplitude in a virtual pyramid obtained by monitoring the Strehl ratio improves accuracy. It was found that the virtual pyramid wavefront sensor is less sensitive to random noise than the virtual Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor. 4. Digital phase-shifting point diffraction interferometer We demonstrated a digital phase-shifting point diffraction interferometer with the help of a transmitting liquid crystal spatial light modulator. This novel wavefront sensor allows tunability in the choice of pinhole size and eliminates the need for mechanically moving parts to achieve phase-shifting. It is shown that this novel wavefront sensor is capable of sensing Zernike aberrations introduced with a
deformable mirror. The results were compared with a commercial Hartmann Shack wavefront sensor. This finding could be the beginning of the regular use of a digital version of the phase-shifting point diffraction interferometer in applications requiring greater precision. 5. Digital pyramid wavefront sensor The pyramid wavefront sensor is known for its high sensitivity and dynamic range that can be tuned by mechanically altering its modulation amplitude. We demonstrated a novel modulating digital scheme employing a reflecting phase only spatial light modulator. The use of the modulator allows an easy reconfigurable pyramid with digital control of the apex angle and modulation geometry without the need of any mechanically moving parts. In addition, the 4-facets digital pyramid wavefront sensor was extended to 6 and 8-facets. It is noted that the performance of the wavefront sensor remains nearly the same in cases of 4, 6 and 8 pupil configurations. Also, in the presence of scatter noise, increasing the number of pupils could lead to an improvement over standard 4-pupil wavefront sensor. 6. Comparison of deformable mirror and SLM in signal-based wavefront sensing This work explores the feasibility of a signal-based wavefront sensor, which employs a search algorithm to estimate Zernike coefficients of given aberrations. The search algorithm was supported by Gaussian interpolation. The performance of two different reflective wavefront correctors, a deformable mirror (DM) and a spatial light modulator (SLM) in signal-based wavefront sensing, was compared under identical conditions. We found that the SLM can be a good alternative to the DM in terms of dynamic range and sensitivity, when speed is not a limiting factor. Distinct advantages of the SLM are high number of pixels and a larger active area. It was found that the optimal pinhole diameter is equal to that of the Airy disk. 7. X-ray attenuation coefficient of mixtures: inputs for dual-energy CT The attenuation coefficient of substances, at any energy of the X-ray photon, is known to depend on the electron density and the effective atomic number of the material. While the dependence on electron density is known to be linear, that of effective atomic number is found to follow a power law, which makes it very sensitive to the power exponent. Several different values, lying between 3 and 4 have been suggested for the exponent, in the existing literature. We empirically ascertained the value that should be assigned. This is done by measuring the HU value of different mixtures, having different values for electron density and effective atomic number and thus determining the dependence of their attenuation coefficients on the above two quantities. We followed a methodology to find both the coefficients explicitly to perform model calculations for the attenuation coefficients of different substances. 8. Myopia: simulation based evaluation of wavefront sensors The presence of photon noise and readout noise lead to centroiding errors in a Hartmann Shack (HS) wavefront sensor. Myopic ocular aberrations were randomly simulated by using the modal statistics obtained from the measurements of 41 myopic subjects. HS spot patterns were simulated using a fast Fourier method where photon noise and readout noise were added using appropriate statistics. 5 centroid detection methods that are used in a HS in the presence of photon noise and readout noise were compared while sensing ocular aberrations. In another study, it is shown that the curvature wavefront sensor is a low-cost reliable alternative to a HS wavefront sensor.
LIST OF PUBLICATIONS – Dr. Vyas Akondi
In peer-reviewed journals (selected): 1. V. Akondi, P. Pérez-Merino, E. Martinez-Enriquez, C. Dorronsoro, N. Alejandre, I. Jiménez-Alfaro, S. Marcos, “Wavefront sensing in eyes implanted with a rotationally asymmetric multifocal intraocular lens,” under review, 2016. 2. V. Akondi, B. Vohnsen, S. Marcos, “Virtual pyramid wavefront sensor for phase unwrapping,” under review, 2016. 3. V. Akondi, C. Falldorf, S. Marcos, B. Vohnsen, “Phase unwrapping with a virtual Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor,” Optics Express, 62(10), p. 786–792, 2015. 4. A.R. Jewel, V. Akondi, B. Vohnsen, “Optimization of sensing parameters for a confocal signal-based wavefront corrector in microscopy,” Journal of Modern Optics, 23(20), p. 25425–25439, 2015. 5. V. Akondi, A.R. Jewel, B. Vohnsen, “Closed-loop adaptive optics using a spatial light modulator for sensing and compensating of optical aberrations in ophthalmic applications,” Journal of Biomedical Optics, 19(9), p. 096014-1-096014-7, 2014. 6. V. Akondi, S. Castillo, B. Vohnsen, “Multi-faceted digital pyramid wavefront sensor,” Optics Communications, 323, p. 77-86, 2014. 7. V. Akondi, A.R. Jewel, B. Vohnsen, “Digital phase-shifting point diffraction interferometer,” Optics Letters 39, p. 1641-1644, 2014. 8. M.B. Roopashree, V. Akondi, S.J. Weddell, B.R. Prasad, “Myopic aberrations: Simulation based comparison of curvature and Hartmann Shack wavefront sensors,” Optics Communications, 312, p. 23-30, 2014. 9. A.R. Jewel, V. Akondi, B. Vohnsen, “A direct comparison between a deformable mirror and a spatial light modulator in signal-based wavefront sensing,” Journal of the European Optical Society - Rapid publications, 8, p. 13073, 2013. 10. V. Akondi, S. Castillo, B. Vohnsen, “Digital pyramid wavefront sensor with tunable modulation,” Optics Express, 21 (15), p. 18261-18272, 2013. 11. V. Akondi, B. Vohnsen, “Myopic aberrations: impact of centroiding noise in Hartmann Shack wave- front sensing,” Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, 33, p. 434-443, 2013. 12. M.B. Roopashree, V. Akondi, B.R. Prasad, “A review of atmospheric wind speed measurement techniques with Shack Hartmann wavefront imaging sensor in adaptive optics,” Journal of the Indian Institute of Science, 93, p. 67-84, 2013. 13. S. Chatterjee, V. Akondi, R.R. Haghighi, P. Kumar, “The energy dependence of the photoelectric attenuation coefficient of substances,” Journal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering, 1, p. 22-27, 2011. 14. R.R. Haghighi, S. Chatterjee, V. Akondi, P. Kumar, S. Thulkar, “X-ray attenuation coefficient of mixtures: Inputs for dual-energy CT,” Medical Physics 38 (10), p. 5270, 2011. 15. V. Akondi, M.B. Roopashree, B.R. Prasad, “Centroid detection by Gaussian pattern matching in adaptive optics,” International Journal of Computer Applications, 1 (26), p. 30-35, 2010. 16. S.K. Jha, V. Akondi, O.S.K.S. Sastri, R. Jain, K.S. Umesh, “Determination of wavelength of laser using modified Newton’s rings setup,” Physics Education, 22 (3), pp. 195-202, 2005.
As Book Chapters: 1. V. Akondi, M.B. Roopashree, B.R. Prasad, “Advanced methods for improving the efficiency of a Shack Hartmann wavefront sensor,” In Robert K. Tyson (Ed.), Topics in Adaptive Optics, InTech, p. 167-196, 2012.
LIST OF PUBLICATIONS – Dr. Vyas Akondi
2. V. Akondi, M.B. Roopashree, B.R. Prasad, “Efficient minimization of servo lag error in adaptive optics using data stream mining,” In V. V. Das, N. Thankachan and N. C. Debnath (Eds.), Advances in Power Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering, Springer, p. 13-18, 2011.
In reviewed conference proceedings (selected first author works): 1. V. Akondi, C. Dorronsoro, E. Gambra, M. Vinas, D. Pascual, S. Aissati and Susana Marcos, “Temporal multiplexing and simulation of multifocal intraocular lenses.” OSA Technical Digest 2016. 2. V. Akondi, S. Marcos, and B. Vohnsen, “Phase estimation in digital phase-shifting point diffraction interferometry using a virtual Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor,” in Imaging and Applied Optics 2015, OSA Technical Digest (online) (Optical Society of America, 2015), paper AOT2D.3. 3. V. Akondi, M.A.R. Jewel and B. Vohnsen, “Closed-loop adaptive optics using a single spatial light modulator for ophthalmic applications, in Visual and Physiological Optics, Wroclaw, Poland, August 2014. 4. V. Akondi, S. Castillo, M.A.R. Jewel, and B. Vohnsen, “Digital pyramid wavefront sensor,” in Imaging and Applied Optics, Optical Society of America Technical Digest (online) (Optical Society of America, 2013), paper OM2A.3. 5. V. Akondi, M.A.R. Jewel, B. Vohnsen, “Selection of pinhole size in wavefront sensor-less adaptive optics,” 1st Workshop on Opto-Imaging, Galway, 2012. 6. V. Akondi, “Myopic eye analysis using Hartmann Shack sensor: Evaluating centroid detection methods for Poisson noise dominant spots,” EOS Topical Meeting: 6th European Meeting on Visual and Physiological Optics, Dublin, 2012. 8. V. Akondi, B. Vohnsen, “Demonstration of dithering Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor using a spatial light modulator,” 4th Summer Workshop on Optoinformatics, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, 2012. 9. V. Akondi, B. Ellerbroek, M.B. Roopashree, D. R. Andersen, and B.R. Prasad, “Evaluation of the performance of centroiding algorithms with varying spot size: case of WFS calibration for the TMT NFIRAOS,” in Adaptive Optics: Methods, Analysis and Applications, OSA Technical Digest (online) (Optical Society of America, 2011), paper ATuA1. 10. V. Akondi, M.B. Roopashree, and B.R. Prasad, “Multi-dither Shack Hartmann sensor for large telescopes: A numerical performance evaluation,” in Adaptive Optics: Methods, Analysis and Applications, OSA Technical Digest (online) (Optical Society of America, 2011), paper ATuA4. 11. V. Akondi, M.B. Roopashree, and B.R. Prasad, “Intensity weighted noise reduction in MEMS based deformable mirror images,” AIP Conference Proceedings 1391, p. 347 (2011). 12. V. Akondi, M.B. Roopashree, and B.R. Prasad, “Dither-based sensor for improved consistency of adaptive optics system,” Proc. SPIE 7739, p. 773928 (2010). 13. V. Akondi, M.B. Roopashree, and B.R. Prasad, “Noise reduction in the centroiding of laser guide star spot pattern using thresholded Zernike reconstructor,” Proc. SPIE 7736, p. 77364E (2010). 14. V. Akondi, M.B. Roopashree, and B.R. Prasad, “Optimizing the modal index of Zernike polynomials for regulated phase screen simulation,” Proc. SPIE 7736, p. 773640 (2010). 15. V. Akondi, M.B. Roopashree, and B.R. Prasad, “Improved iteratively weighted centroiding for ac- curate spot detection in laser guide star based Shack Hartmann sensor,” Proc. SPIE 7588, p. 758806 (2010).
Dublin, Ireland August 29th 2016
To whom it concerns,
I am pleased to write a letter of support for Dr. Vyas Akondi who has applied for the OSA
Foundation Fellowship (Thorlabs). Dr. Akondi worked as post-doctoral researcher for
approximately 2 years in our group in Dublin, Ireland, on wavefront sensing, adaptive optics,
and microscopy in 2012 - 2014. Throughout this period he proved to be an exceptionally skilled
researcher who could tackle challenging problems and carry it forward to scientific outputs
(journals and conferences) in a highly competent manner. He worked extensively on
programming of spatial light modulators for wavefront sensing applications jointly with two
of my PhD students. Moreover, he authored and co-authored high impact publications with us
including papers in journals such as Optics Letters, Optics Express, and Journal of Biomedical
Optics. In 2014 he moved to Spain and joined Prof. Susana Marcos’ group in CSIC. We have
kept close contact since then and are still working on joint topics that have led to one and
possibly soon two more publications.
During his time in Ireland Dr. Akondi helped me in my supervision of graduate students and
in a few cases gave lectures to physics students when I was abroad. He has outstanding
interpersonal skills and helped also graduate students with his expertise in optical engineering
and Matlab programming. In Spain, I know that he has gained significant experience with
ophthalmic optics that complements his experience with us. He has also taken on a leadership
role in an OSA Technical Group and he has received scientific recognition of excellence as an
outstanding reviewer both for Optics Letters (OSA) and Optics Communications (Elsevier).
He has outstanding potential as a researcher and I therefore wholeheartedly support his
application for the OSA Foundation Fellowship.
Yours sincerely
Brian Vohnsen
Associate Professor
School of Physics
University College Dublin
Dublin 4, IRELAND
º MINISTERIO DE CIENCIA E INNOVACIÓN
INSTITUTO DE ÓPTICA “DAZA DE VALDÉS”
SERRANO, 121 28006 MADRID, ESPAÑA TEL: (34) 91 561 68 00 FAX (34) 91 564 55 57
Madrid, September 2 2016 Dear Thorlabs OSA Fellowship Committee My name is Susana Marcos, Professor of Research, Director of Visual Optics and Biophotonics (Institute of Optics, Madrid) and past Director-at-Large of the Optical Society of America. I am writing as the supervisor of Dr. Vyas Akondi, a postdoctoral researcher of the Marie Curie Cofund Fellowship Program. Dr. Akondi joined the Visual Optics and Biophotonics Lab about 1 ½ year ago, to contribute to an exciting multidisciplinary project in the crossroads of optics, ophthalmology, optical design and psychophysics. I was particularly attracted by his background as a mathematician/physicist and his experience in wavefront sensing acquired during a prior postdoc in Dr. Brian Vohnsen’s lab. Dr. Akondi has demonstrated a strong commitment to the research program and has contributed with important computational validations of visual simulations of real intraocular lenses with various adaptive optics approaches (Spatial Light Modulator, Deformable Mirror and Temporal Multiplexing). I am particularly impressed by the innovative approaches he has brought to these simulations, his good communication skills and his professionalism. I cannot comment on his experimental skills. I understand that he feels much more comfortable working on computational problems, as having had access to various adaptive optics systems and potential guidance from other senior members of the group, he has not taken the lead to work in the lab with these systems. I believe that the OSA Fellowship to work in Thorlabs with experimental equipment will be a very good opportunity for Dr. Akondi to expand his research capabilities. For these reasons, I support his application to the program, Yours sincerely
Susana Marcos, PhD Professor of Research Director of Visual Optics and Biophotonics Lab Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.vision.csic.es
Recommendation for Dr.Akondi Vyas for the OSA Foundation Fellowship for the Thorlabs.
I have great pleasure in writing this recommendation for Dr. Akondi Vyas, who has applied for the OSA Foundation Fellowship at the Thorlabs.
I have known Vyas, since 2006 when he joined as a Ph.D. Student at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and attended my special lectures on Fluid Mechanics and Plasma Physics, organised by the Indian Space Research Organization. Subsequently, Vyas attended my special lectures on optics and took an important part in our discussions.
I was always impressed by Vyas' attitude towards interdisciplinary work. While he was doing his Ph.D, he collaborated with me in a work related to the imaging by CT machines. This collaboration finally resulted in the publication:
“ X-ray attenuation coefficient of mixtures: inputs for dual energy CT”: Rezvan Ravanfar Haghighi, S.Chatterjee, Akondi Vyas, Pratik Kumar, Sanjay Thulkar, Medical Physics 38 (10), pp. 5270-5279 (2011).
His work since his Ph.D. days has been in the area of wave front sensing, for which he has developed several algorithms. His experimental work at the time of doing the Ph.D. was limited, due to the lack of facilities.
Subsequently, as a Post Doctoral Fellow, he has been working on problems related to optimization of wave front sensing devices, with particular interest in the question of vision. I am happy to see that in the phase, when he was in Dublin, in collaboration with his colleagues at the University of Dublin, he has succeeded in publishing interesting papers which combine theoretical work with numerical simulations and has worked on various types of wave front sensing questions.
It is interesting to note that the pyramid type wave front sensor that came out in this phase of work, is capable of doing wave front sensing without using movable parts and should be a very useful tool in opthalmology.
In the last two years these ideas could be further augmented and wave front sensing device could be conceived of that can follow changes temporally and is thus useful for cataract operations.
Computational work was always Vyas's strength and his understanding of the basic theoretical principles is sound enough to translate theoretical ideas into numerical codes. I am sure that his experience in Dublin and later in Madrid has helped him in enhancing the above skills and has also got him amply acquainted with laboratory work. It is particularly interesting to read their series, which uses the Liquid Crystal Light Modulator for the purpose of wave front detection. This forms the base for several innovations that have potential to follow and the Thorlabs opportunity should help Vyas to execute these ideas and also help the lab in the process.
Further, given an opportunity he will also be a good teacher, responsive to the requirements of the students. As we can see, he had taught in undergraduate level courses in Dublin and also helped in supervising two Ph.D. students.
Vyas is a person of friendly disposition and sensitive to the requirements of his fellow colleagues, which faculty and students alike, will appreciate. I have always found him to be realistic about the target and keeps to the time frame that he works out. This too is a qualification that has to be judged in assessing his candidature.
I strongly recommend him for the OSA Foundation fellowship that he has applied for work at the Thorlabs and wish him success.
S.ChatterjeeFormrely, Associate Professor,* Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore 560 034. INDIA.
* I have retired from the above post on 31.01.2014.
Present addess:303, Ganesh Residency55, 4th Main 13th CrossMalleswaram Bangalore 560003INDIA.