Presented by Gregory Quarles, EdgeLight Incorporated – Tucson, AZ Board Member of Optical Society of America, at the Workshop of Opportunities, the satellite meeting of the International Young Scientists Forum on Applied Physics YSF-2015

1. Beyond the Scientific Method
for Career Success
Gregory J. Quarles, PhD
EdgeLight Incorporated – Tucson, AZ
OSA Board Member
International Young Scientists Forum on Applied Physics 2015
O. Honchar Dnipropetrovsk National University

2. Outline
• Introduction – Industrial Research
• Career Path
• Personal Initiative
• Strategic Skills
• Networking & Collaboration
• Adaptability

3. Global Applications – Career Path
• It does not matter if you are in industry,
academia, government labs or small
businesses – much applies:
• You will have peers, subordinates, and
supervisors.
• You must build your career one step at a
time.
• Excitement is contagious.
• Commitment will get you noticed.
• Stand OUT!

4. Focus: Industrial Research Path
• No matter your career path, CREATIVITY is
a NECESSITY!
• Most topics today can be applied to any
area.
• Different decision points as careers progress.
• Personal Values and Vision required.
• Path begins with your education choices.
• Personality, Psychology, Sociology and Desire
all help shape preferences.

5. Career Path(s)
Avoid the path that mimics a Random Walk or Brownian Motion!
From: http://www.fritsch-sizing.com/encyclopedia/brownian-motion/

6. Career Path(s)
Your career path won’t always follow the IDEAL models you see!
From: http://www.technocorp.co.in/adne.html

7. Career Path(s)
From: http://www.rajiv.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/product-engineering-career2.png
The
REALITY is
that your
journey will
have many
Decision
Points!

8. Personal Initiative
• Manage your own career!
• Don’t let the system manage it for you!
• Set your boundaries early in your career.
• Work-Life Balance is essential for longevity!
• Industrial Research requires a personality
that strives for Team Rewards vs. Personal
Achievement!
• Re-evaluate your options and path regularly.

9. Strategic Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Public Speaking
• Organization
• Leadership
• Business understanding is CRITICAL
• Expressing yourself in presentations
• ALL of the above can be TAUGHT; the
Optical Society provides much of this!

10. Networking and Collaboration
• Poster Papers are GREAT for networking.
• Ask questions when in meetings and at
conferences.
• Get involved in Student Leadership activities.
• Stay in touch with colleagues. It is amazing
how far a note or personal thank you will go!
• For Industry, IP & Product Demonstration are
more critical than publications; collaborate!

11. Collaboration is the KEY,
especially for the
Industrial Research Scientist!
“Alone we can do so little; together we
can do so much” - Helen Keller
“The true sign of intelligence is not
knowledge but imagination” - Albert
Einstein

12. Adaptability
• Striving to broaden your knowledge base should be
a daily goal. OSA Open Access journals make this
very achievable.
• Breadth in skill sets assist with progressing along
your career path in industry.
• Gain exposure to multiple projects.
• Adaptation to change and to stress are requirements
for success in a start-up! Business “decisions” can
override personal research initiatives.

13. Summary
• Success is never guaranteed.
• Use resources, mentors, and trusted friends for input.
• Embrace RISK; Understand Failure.
• Failure is inevitable; do NOT let it define you!
• Never forget to bring your passion to work. It will carry
you as far as your knowledge!
• Interdisciplinary knowledge and collaborations are a
key cornerstone to success.
• Remember what brought you to science – Asking WHY?
• Take time for YOU – Work/Life Balance is Critical for
longevity!

14. For All Scientists
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail
again. Fail Better.” - Richard Branson, CEO,
Virgin Group, attributed to playwright, Samuel
Beckett
“A person who never made a mistake never tried
anything new!” – Albert Einstein
“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried
to succeed.” - Theodore Roosevelt

15. THANK YOU!
Questions?