Julian Gamboa González

Hello, and welcome to my website! This landing page serves as an interactive resumé- feel free to click around to get a better idea of who I am and what I do.

I am currently finishing my tenure as a Research Scientist at Meta's Reality Labs, where I specialized in advanced holography research and development as part of the RL Research OPALS Team. My work in this team centered on the design, simulation, and fabrication of holographic optical elements (HOEs) for next-generation augmented reality (AR) displays and related technologies.
Previously, I was a research assistant at the Lab for Atomic and Photonic Technologies at Northwestern University, where I completed my PhD in Electrical Engineering with a focus on photonics in March 2025. My primary research was in applications of analog and digital holography, with a particular focus on optical signal processing and data acquisition. I also researched the development of photonic integrated circuits in AlGaAs/GaAs and LiNbO₃ for use in fast and slow light gyroscopes using Rb atoms.
I'm passionate about developing new and interesting ways to use the complex nature of light in everything from fundamental science to entertainment. Light is an incredible tool that we are only just beginning to fully dominate; it allows us to observe from the very structure of the universe to its most minute particles, while simultaneously connecting us to virtual worlds limited only by our imagination. I strive to design technologies that truly take advantage of this fundamental force in order to improve the human experience.

2025

2023 Presidential Fellow (Press Release)

2021

2017

Led the development and optimization of holographic exposure systems, enabling precise fabrication and characterization of volume holograms for AR applications.

Designed and implemented experimental setups for exposing and evaluating photopolymer-based HOEs, including with non-planar geometries.

Developed custom software tools (MatLab, Zemax) for simulating holographic display geometries, analyzing material shrinkage, and optimizing optical performance across various parameters (e.g., spectrum, angular bandwidth, efficiency).

Collaborated cross-functionally to solve complex challenges in holographic material science, such as shrinkage compensation, spectral filtering, and multi-wavelength multiplexing.

Pioneered new methods for integrating holographic elements into wearable devices, and contributed to the design of novel waveguide architectures.

Documented and shared findings through technical reports, presentations, and open collaboration with internal and external partners, advancing Meta’s capabilities in holographic display technology.

Led research into opto-electronic correlators

Led research into nanofabrication for AlGaAs photonic integrated circuits

Led research into volume holograms in PQ:PMMA substrates

Built fully automated setups for performing and evaluating optical, opto-electronic, and photonic experiments

Developed SOPs for fabricating and evaluating PQ:PMMA volume holograms

Managed a team of four graduate researchers (three PhD students & one postdoc)

Mentored Two graduate, two undergraduate, and two highscool students

Published five peer-reviewed journal papers, and presented at various refereed conferences (CLEO, FiO, SPIE PW, and AMOS)

Prepared three accepted facilities proposals for Argonne National Laboratory

Assisted in preparing three grant proposals that were successfully funded

Gave seminars on holography, PID control systems, and coupled wave analysis

Assisted in research into fiber-optic orthogonal frequency division multiplexing

Achieved a 400 Gbps link

Built characterization setups for various fiber-optic components (primarily EOMs & MZIs)

Proficient in MatLab and C++. Experienced with VHDL, Julia, Python, and HTML.

VHDL programming for real-time signal processing on Xilinx Ultrascale+ FPGAs.

Proficient in experiment design and automation with experience in robotics, image processing, low-level protocols, and measurement interfaces.

Experience with FDTD, wave-optic, raytracing, and mode solving simulations using MatLab, Comsol, and Zemax.

Photonic circuit design (ring resonators, DBR lasers, detectors, couplers, IDT transducers).

Nanofabrication in class 100 cleanrooms (e-beam lithography, PECVD, RIE, e-beam evaporation, sputtering, SEM, cleaving, mounting, wire-bonding).

Demonstrated proficiency in Fourier optics, coupled wave theory, and optical signal processing.

Experienced with amplitude and phase spatial light modulators.

Excellent written and oral communication skills in Spanish and English (dual native speaker).

Excellent at science communication, technical writing, and copyediting for journal publications.

Excellent at teamwork and collaborative endeavors.

J. Gamboa, T. Hamidfar, X. Shen, and S. M. Shahriar, “Elimination of optical phase sensitivity in a shift, scale, and rotation invariant hybrid opto-electronic correlator via off-axis operation,” Optics Express 31(4), 5990-6002 (2023).

J. Gamboa, T. Hamidfar, J. Vonckx, M. Fouda, and S. M. Shahriar, “Thick PQ: PMMA transmission holograms for free-space optical communication via wavelength-division multiplexing,” Applied optics 60(28), 8851-8857 (2021).

J. Gamboa, T. Hamidfar, J. Bonacum, and S. M. Shahriar, “Determination of the refractive index modulation of PQ: PMMA holographic phase gratings over a large spectral range through a two-level approximation of the electric susceptibility,” Optical Materials Express 11(11), 3627-3635 (2021).