Introducing Dr. M.J. Soileau

Dr. Soileau moved to Orlando in January 1987 to be the founding director of the Center for Research in ElectroOptics and Lasers (CREOL) – now CREOL the College of Optics and Photonics – at the University of Central Florida (UCF). He dedicated more than 35 years of his career to UCF, transforming the fledgling research center into one of the major educational and research institutions for optics in the world before becoming Vice President for Research and Commercialization in 2000. He returned to the CREOL faculty in the Fall of 2016 and retired July 2022.

“What a wonderful life to spend your life learning stuff,” Dr. Soileau said. “And by the way, when you teach, you learn so much more than the students do.”

It is this passion for learning and education that we hope will permeate our halls and help support us in our mission to inspire science learning for life. As our Scientist in Residence, Dr. Soileau will be making appearances and offering unique experiences throughout the year. This partnership promises to deliver exceptional educational value to our members, visitors and Central Florida community - from special presentations at Science Night Live to guest workshops with the kids of Neighborhood Science.

We invite you to submit any questions you have for Dr. Soileau to our Ask a Scientist forum, available on our website at osc.org/ask-a-scientist, which will be the best resource to learn about his upcoming appearances. Keep an eye out for additional opportunities to engage with our very first Scientist in Residence!