Lucy Ying-Ju Chu
Redmond,WA
Summary
Optical engineer with experience in optical metrology, calibration, and system-level testing across research, product development, and manufacturing environments, including free-space optical communication systems. Specializes in hands-on bench-level problem solving, optical test development, and data-driven validation in cross-functional teams.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Optical Engineer
MLOptic
Redmond, WA
05.2023 - 07.2025
- Deployed and validated a free-space infrared optical communication test station, including optical alignment, tooling definition, and production-level validation.
- Led the manufacturing transfer of optical test processes to a contract manufacturing site in Thailand on the factory floor, bring up station, debug alignment and stability issues, and train production engineers.
- Developed an image-processing-based astigmatism diagnostic method, reducing calibration time to 4%; presented results at SPIE Optics + Photonics.
- Defined and validated calibration protocols for imaging colorimeters and spectroradiometers using mathematical modeling and hardware verification to ensure repeatability for volume manufacturing.
- Wrote Python and MATLAB scripts to analyze calibration data, and generate plots and reports for internal teams and customers.
Optical Engineer
Meta
Redmond, WA
11.2021 - 01.2023
- Supported optical design validation of VR display subsystems by developing polarization-based test and analysis workflows to diagnose off-axis performance artifacts.
- Built benchtop optical test setups and performed failure analysis using polarization modeling, ellipsometry, and image analysis to identify root causes of display non-uniformity.
Graduate Researcher
RIT / University of Rochester
Rochester, NY
08.2013 - 08.2021
- Designed and built a nano-Newton-sensitivity optical metrology system from an empty laboratory, enabling experimental measurement of optical radiation pressure using laser-based detection and precision opto-mechanical control.
- Led two Physical Review Letters publications and contributed to a NASA NIAC (Innovative Advanced Concepts) grant, demonstrating feasibility of space-relevant optical radiation pressure concepts.
- Developed MATLAB and Python control and data-analysis pipelines for high-sensitivity optical experiments involving free-space infrared beam propagation and precision detection.
- Collaborated with industry and academic partners on diffractive polarization films and metamaterials; mentored undergraduates in optics and imaging system development.
Education
Ph.D. - Imaging Science
Rochester Institute of Technology
Master of Science - Biomedical Engineering (Optics)
University of Rochester
B.S. - Photonics
National Cheng Kung University
Skills
OPTICAL SYSTEMS & METROLOGY
- Free-space Optical Communication Link metrology
- Polarization & diffractive optics
- Optical Radiation Pressure
- System-level optical testing
MANUFACTURING & TEST
- Metrology system calibration
- Factory test station bring-up
SOFTWARE & DATA
- MATLAB, Python;
- Data analysis & Visualization
- Zemax, LabVIEW
INSTRUMENTATION
- Imaging colorimeter, spectroradiometer
- polarimeter, ellipsometer
- autocollimator, interferometer
Timeline
Optical Engineer
MLOptic
05.2023 - 07.2025
Optical Engineer
Meta
11.2021 - 01.2023
Graduate Researcher
RIT / University of Rochester
08.2013 - 08.2021
Ph.D. - Imaging Science
Rochester Institute of Technology
Master of Science - Biomedical Engineering (Optics)
University of Rochester
B.S. - Photonics
National Cheng Kung University