Brandon Chalifoux

Brandon Chalifoux serves as an Assistant Professor at The University of Arizona's Wyant College of Optical Sciences and Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. His research focuses on enabling next-generation space telescopes through precision fabrication, mounting, and alignment of lightweight optical mirrors, with applications spanning astronomy, Earth observation, and space infrastructure development.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Optical Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019
• M.S. in Optical Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014
• B.S. in Physics, Rice University, 2008

Chalifoux's research centers on stress-based surface shaping, precision engineering, ultrafast laser optical material processing, and astronomical optics. Through the Lightweight Optics Lab, he develops experimental and analytical techniques for manufacturing and aligning thin mirrors, with current projects targeting X-ray mirror metrology, laser stress figuring, and optical assembly methods critical for future high-resolution space telescopes.

His recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate concentrated advancements in ultrafast laser stress figuring (ULSF) for optical surface correction across thin mirrors and X-ray telescope optics. Key themes include material behavior analysis in fused silica and glass, stress generation mechanisms, and novel metrology techniques like axial shift mapping, establishing foundational methodologies for space-based optical systems.

Scientific Awards:

• No awards mentioned in source material

Chalifoux has successfully advised graduate students including Dr. Hayden Wisniewski (PhD, 2023), now a metrology engineer at ASML, and Alex St. Peter (Masters, 2023). His lab secures research funding for optical engineering projects with emphasis on space telescope technology, featuring significant collaborations with MIT on stress tensor mesostructures and laser-based figuring techniques.

The Lightweight Optics Lab operates at the forefront of space optics research, conducting projects from fundamental laser-material interactions to X-ray mirror segment assembly. Current team efforts focus on ultrafast laser stress figuring for mirror correction and advanced metrology for near-cylindrical surfaces, directly addressing challenges in next-generation astronomical instrumentation and space infrastructure.