Jannick Rolland

Jannick Rolland is the Brian J. Thompson Professor of Optical Engineering at the University of Rochester's Institute of Optics and serves as CTO of LighTopTech, a company she co-founded. She leads the NSF I/UCRC Center for Freeform Optics (CeFO), focusing on graduate education, and directs the R.E. Hopkins Center for Optical Design and Engineering, which engages undergraduates in optical design, fabrication, and metrology. Her academic journey includes a Diploma from Institut D'Optique (1984), MS (1985) and PhD (1990) in optical science from the University of Arizona, followed by postdoctoral work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to her current role, she held positions at the University of Central Florida, where she established the Optical Diagnostics and Applications Laboratory (ODALab).

Professor Rolland's research emphasizes optical instrumentation and system engineering, with a focus on freeform optics, optical coherence tomography (OCT), augmented reality (AR) displays, and biomedical imaging. Her work integrates physics-based modeling and image quality assessment across applications like medical visualization and optical system alignment. Key areas include metasurfaces, metaform optics, and the development of innovative optical systems for diverse fields such as astronomy and wearable technology.

Her scientific awards include the 2014 OSA David Richardson Medal and the 2017 Edmund A. Hajim Outstanding Faculty Award. She is a Fellow of Optica, SPIE, and NYSTAR. Her editorial roles include associate editorships at Optics Letters and Optical Engineering. Her contributions span over 150 publications, reflecting her leadership in advancing optical engineering and its applications in healthcare, imaging, and emerging technologies.