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Briana Capistran has been a research chemist at NIST since 2021. Her research focuses on the development and optimization of analytical methods and workflows to improve forensic evidence analysis, specifically related to fire debris and seized drugs. Briana earned her Ph.D. in chemistry and M.S. in forensic science from Michigan State University in 2021 and 2020, respectively, and her B.A. in forensic science from Saint Anselm College in 2015. In her spare time, Briana enjoys reading, discovering local coffee shops with her husband, and watching her favorite Friends episodes.

Dietrich Leibfried is a NIST Fellow and physicist. He joined the Ion Storage Group at NIST in 1996 as a postdoctoral scholar. After three years as an assistant professor at the University of Innsbruck, Austria (1998-2000), he returned to NIST in 2001 as co-leader of the group working on quantum information processing, quantum networking and quantum control with trapped ions. Dietrich has published more than 160 peer-reviewed articles. He received his diploma (1991) and Ph.D. (1995) in physics while working on precision laser spectroscopy of hydrogen with Theodor W. Hänsch at the Max-Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Garching, Germany.

Esther Baumann is a research scientist at NIST and has worked for 16 years in designing and building fiber frequency combs and exploring innovative laser and frequency comb applications. She is passionate about establishing synergies through cross-disciplinary collaboration, with her work touching diverse fields from laser ranging through fire to muscle health assessment. Baumann has been actively engaged in high-precision, molecular dual-comb spectroscopy of gas phases, including monitoring greenhouse gases. Recently, Baumann shifted her concentration toward the free-form dual-comb platform. This new and improved dual-comb spectrometer, created by her team, is designed to intelligently gather the most pertinent parts of a signal during measurement, making it a more adaptable and versatile tool.

Alison Kahn is an Electronics Engineer with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division in Boulder, Colorado. Alison is currently the Project Lead for First Responder Personal Area Network research, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology directorate. This project is working to identify and address barriers in the assimilation and utilization of Internet of Things (IoT) data during first responder field operations. Alison has 18 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. Before joining PSCR in 2016, she worked on end-to-end device interoperability programs for cellular network equipment manufacturers. She also worked with commercial wireless carriers to develop and implement customized test plans used to ensure that device vendors could meet both customer required and industry standard interoperability with cellular network equipment.

Abheek Chatterjee is a guest researcher in the Systems Integration Division at NIST. Abheek uses complex systems modeling and analysis tools to explore the adoption and impacts of circular economy strategies — specifically material recovery from end-of-use clean energy technology and plastics. Abheek’s doctoral research at Texas A&M explored a novel ecology-inspired approach to design resilient infrastructure networks.