News

AIM Photonics Appoints New Executive Director

AIM Photonics has announced that Dr. William W. (Wade) Cook has been appointed Executive Director of the Institute.

“After an extensive search, we know that Wade is the right leader for AIM Photonics,” said Dr. Tod A. Laursen, Acting President at SUNY Polytechnic Institute and chairman of AIM Photonics’ Leadership Council. “His considerable industry experience, combined with his proven leadership skills, will help strengthen AIM Photonics’ position as a technology leader and continue to cultivate the ever-important strategic alliances needed to grow the integrated photonics ecosystem in the U.S.”

AIM Photonics—which is short for the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics—is a public-private partnership of industry and both federal and state governments dedicated to advancing photonic integrated circuit manufacturing in the U.S. by providing cost-effective access to state-of-the-art silicon photonics fabrication, packaging and testing.

Cook has over 20 years’ technology experience in optics and photonics, serving in roles ranging from engineer to  manager to executive-level positions, where he developed an aptitude for formulating organizational strategies to increase sales, improve customer relationships, and manage the design and development of photonic devices.

“I’m excited to have this chance to contribute to the growth of an industry that’s so important to the future of New York and the U.S.,” Cook said. “Integrated photonics technologies offer the promise of smaller, better, faster, lighter devices that will significantly improve people’s lives and help ensure our country’s defense readiness.”