Brian R. Washburn was born in Racine, WI, in 1972. He received the B.S. degree (summa cum laude) from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in 1994 and his Ph. D. degree in physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA. His research included ultrafast semiconductor spectroscopy, nonlinear fiber optics, photonic crystal fibers, and ultrashort pulse characterization.  In 2002, he started a postdoctoral position at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder CO studying noise properties of supercontinuum generation.  This work has led to the development of a phase-locked all-fiber-based supercontinuum source for frequency metrology. In August 2005 he will join Kansas State University, Manhattan KS, as an assistant professor in physics. His current research interests include ultrafast semiconductor spectroscopy, nonlinear fiber optics, and mode-locked fiber lasers.

Dr. Washburn is a member of the Optical Society of America, the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics (LEOS) Society, and the American Physical Society.