Research | CREOL, The College of Optics & Photonics at the University of Central Florida

Formed in 1986 as the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers, CREOL, The College of Optics & Photonics at the University of Central Florida (UCF) is internationally recognized as one of the top academic and research programs in optics and photonics in the nation. The College is the first program in optics and photonics to have achieved the status of a full College, headed by a Dean. As a graduate college for optical science and engineering education and research, the mission of the College is to:

Provide the highest quality education in optical science and engineering
Enhance optics education at all levels
Conduct scholarly fundamental and applied research
Aid in the development of technology-based industries throughout Florida and the nation.

The College offers interdisciplinary graduate programs leading to MS and Ph.D. degrees in Optics. CREOL, the Florida Photonics Center of Excellence (FPCE), and the Townes Laser Institute are research centers within the College. Through these research centers, the College fulfills its mandate to be an international center of excellence in optics and lasers, in both research and education, and to act as an intellectual, scientific and technical resource to the laser, optics, and photonics industries.

The College has grown rapidly and now has 42 faculty members and faculty with joint appointments, 54 research scientists and 146 graduate students with research activities covering all aspects of optics, photonics, and lasers. Research expenditures are ~$20M annually, with ~25% of the funding coming from industrial partners, illustrating the effectiveness of the commitment to partnerships that is a foundational value of the College.

The research activities of the College faculty span the spectrum from basic science to prototype development. The faculty vigorously pursue joint research projects with industry, academia, and government laboratories. The main facilities of the College are housed in a state-of-the-art 104,000 ft² building dedicated to optics and photonics research and education. A portion of the building functions as the UCF Photonics Incubator, an extension of the award-winning UCF Incubation Program. .

Located within the main CREOL Building is a state of the art nano-fabrication facility that operates as a fee-based common user laboratory and is open to both inside and outside users. One of the main features of the facility is a Leica EBPG 5000+ lithography system that is capable of writing with an e-beam spot size of 10 nanometers.