Debra Simoff
Debra Simoff is a 1977 U. of Iowa graduate with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a B.A. in Chemistry. After 3 years in R&D with Monsanto Plastics and Resins in Springfield, MA, she earned an M.S. in Polymer Science and Engineering at UMASS, Amherst. In 1982, Debbie joined AT&T Bell Laboratories (Murray Hill, NJ) and has been with the "same" company since (despite their name changes to Lucent, and now OFS). In 2000, she transferred to the Specialty Photonics Division in Avon, CT, where she supervises the Coatings and Polymer Materials Group. Her work has centered on characterization and development of polymers for fiber-optic applications, particularly UV-curable coatings. She is the recipient of 6 US patents related to the formation of gratings in polymer-coated optical fibers.