Dr. Mark F. Spencer, PHD
DR-III (GS-14)
Other Experience
Adjunct Associate Professor of Optical Sciences & Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Department of Engineering Physics, Mar 2021 – Present
- Sponsors MS Theses & PhD dissertations in topic areas relating to optics & photonics – currently serving on 3 PhD committees at the U of Arizona, U of Rochester, & AFIT
- Teaches graduate-level short courses & gives invited talks on beam control, atmospheric propagation, and digital holography to international audiences at conferences & workshops
Senior Physicist, Physics Series 1310, DR III (GS 14), Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Directed Energy Directorate (AFRL/RD), Oct 2020 – Present
- Directed Energy Staff Specialist at the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), Requirements & Resources Directorate, Science & Technology Division (J85), as the first-ever liaison from AFRL/RD
- Serves as the principal advisor on matters related to directed-energy technology in subject areas including but not limited to high-energy lasers & high-power electromagnetics
- Duties include representing, guiding, & aiding the transition of directed-energy technology to the USINDOPACOM area of responsibility with mission-critical international partnerships
Senior Research Physicist, Physics Series 1310, DR III (GS 14), AFRL/RD, Jan 2019 – Oct 2020
- Led a diverse research team as the Principal Investigator for the Aero Effects & Beam Control Program
- Program included 15 government scientists & engineers, 10 in-house contractors, & ~$10M annual budget (core & ~$7.5M in external funds) with thrust areas in aero effects, beam control, atmospheric propagation, & advanced sensing
- Guided the development of the theory, M&S, & laboratories needed to understand the underlying physics & engineer next-gen solutions to multifaceted problems
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Optical Sciences & Engineering, AFIT, Department of Engineering Physics, Mar 2015 – Mar 2021
- Sponsored MS Theses & PhD dissertations in topic areas relating to optics & photonics – $1.1M total
- Served as a chair on 1 MA thesis & an active committee member on 5 MS theses & 2 PhD dissertations
Research Physicist, Physics Series 1310, DR II (GS 12/13), AFRL/RD, Jun 2014 – Jan 2019
- Led a robust digital holography research portfolio & developed a state-of the-art beam control laboratory
Intern, AFRL/RD, Maui HI, Fall 2012 & 2013
- Developed wave-optics tools for an inverse synthetic aperture ladar system used for GEO imaging – tools are still in use to this day
Intern, AFRL/RD, Kirtland AFB NM, Summer 2011
- Quantified the effects of stair mode in laser phased arrays
Research Assistant, AFIT Center for Directed Energy, Jan 2009 – Jun 2014
- Completed research towards PhD dissertation, a Phase I STTR with the Optical Sciences Company, & MS thesis
Intern, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Summer 2008
- Added a thermal conduction calculation to a massively parallel astrophysics code suite called COSMOS++
Intern, AFIT Center for Directed Energy, Summer 2007
- Measured SBS threshold in multiple fiber samples & built a 75W narrowband fiber laser to demonstrate SBS phase conjugation
Intern, U of Redlands, Department of Physics, 2006
- Designed & built the mechanical components for a scanning tunneling microscope