2007 Plenary Speaker

John Ambroseo, president and CEO of Coherent, Inc. is the PhAST plenary session keynote speaker. The plenary session took place on Monday, May 7, 2007 at 6:30 p.m. EDT.

The Photonics Industry: Enabling Technology or Mature Market?

The Photonics market will soon celebrate the golden anniversary of the invention of the laser. During the last fifty years, there have been tremendous successes. Lasers have helped create the high-speed backbone of the Internet, enabled Moore’s Law, restored eyesight, and satisfied our vanity through aesthetic procedures, just to name a few. Despite these remarkable feats, industry growth more closely resembles that of farm equipment. The question, of course, is why? John Ambroseo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Coherent Inc. will share his insight into how the Photonics industry can evolve, to go beyond the superficial dazzle of the technology, beyond the repetition of techniques, to ultimately become a growth industry.

John Ambroseo is the president and chief executive officer of Coherent, Inc. Mr. Ambroseo joined Coherent in August 1988. Since June 2001, he served in the role of executive vice president and chief operating officer until becoming president and chief executive officer in October 2002. During his 14-year tenure at Coherent, he held various positions in domestic and international operations, marketing, and sales. Mr. Ambroseo has also led several acquisitions for Coherent including those for Microlase, DEOS, Crystal Associates, Molectron, Positive Light, and Lambda Physik AG. He is the past president of LEOMA (Laser Electro-Optics Manufacturers Association) and is a trustee with the Purchase College Foundation. Mr. Ambroseo received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and his Bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York College at Purchase.