Valentina Doushkina is a successful technical leader, manager, and educator in the optics community. Her years of experience in designing complex, high performance optical systems and managing product engineering programs have spanned across a wide variety of fields, including medicine, space, communications, and atmospheric science with specific applications in projection systems, remote sensing, laser metrology, environmental measurements, and pollution monitoring. Her expertise encompasses the entire design cycle, starting from concept, to optical and opto-mechanical design and modeling, to tolerance analysis and error budgeting, culminating in prototype and manufacturing.
Valentina obtained the degree of M.Sc. in Earth and Space/Atmospheric Science from York University, Toronto, Canada and also holds a M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, with a major in Electro-Optical Instrumentation Design from Electro-Technical University, St. Petersburg, Russia. She has designed several advanced production-level systems such as laser scanners, laser Doppler vibrometers and velocimeters, atmospheric emission spectral imagers, LCD projection systems, as well as night vision systems with uncooled infrared cameras and digitally fused thermal and visible imaging, among a plethora of other projects.
Valentina has experience at various photonics-based businesses, with a number of patents and publications to her credit. Some of Valentina’s notable positions include: Project Manager/Senior Product Development Engineer at Sensors for Rolling Mills/George KELK Corp in Canada, Toronto; Optomechanical Engineer at Elcan Optical Technologies (Raytheon); Sr. Optical Engineer/Designer at Corning Inc.; Sr. Scientist/Engineer at Metrolaser, Sr. Project Engineer at Advanced Medical Optics; Director of Engineering at Qiotiq Polymer; and is currently the Director of Optical Systems at N2 Imaging Systems. Furthermore, she also runs her own optical engineering and consulting business through Doushkina Optics (www.Doushkina.com).
To compliment her professional successes, Valentina is also a very active professional in optics education in Southern California. She is the Founding Instructor of the Optical Instrument Design Certificate Program at the University of California, Irvine Extension. In addition, she has been teaching a series of optical and opto-mechanical classes at UCI, CACT, and ATEP along with the SPIE full-day class, “Integration of Optical and Mechanical Design (SC983)”.
In 2010, Valentina was nominated for her specific achievements in optical instrument design, engineering, and education as an SPIE Senior Member (https://spie.org/x19144.xml). Additionally, she was featured in the 2010 SPIE Women in Optics Yearly Planner (http://spie.org/x31321.xml).
For the 2010-2011 year, Valentina held the office of OSSC President after previously serving as Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. She is honored to be a part of the Optical Society leadership and looks forward to remaining at the center of events and professional development in the optical community.
In her spare time, Valentina is an artist and is actively involved with the Southern California Art community. She paints with oil, acrylic, and pastel. Her paintings have been displayed in local exhibitions.
Valentina Doushkina
Art Work Samples
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