“Adaptation isn’t just about surviving change – it’s about learning to thrive through it.”
About
As a physicist, I spent decades studying light and guiding students through their own discoveries. Today, I write with that same sense of wonder, tracing the connections between knowledge, creativity, and what it means to be human.
SUMMARY
Bill Colson has spent his life following curiosity wherever it leads. His career began in the 1960s at Bendix Research Laboratory, where he first explored the mysteries of physics. That path took him to Stanford University, where he earned his PhD and began a lifelong fascination with light and lasers.
For more than forty years, Bill taught and conducted research at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. There, he guided nearly a hundred graduate students through their own discoveries and led dozens of research projects that deepened our understanding of laser science. His work earned international recognition, including major awards from the IEEE and the American Physical Society.
For more than forty years, Bill taught and conducted research at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. There, he guided nearly a hundred graduate students through their own discoveries and led dozens of research projects that deepened our understanding of laser science. His work earned international recognition, including major awards from the IEEE and the American Physical Society.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Bendix Research Laboratory
Began by developing new technologies including electron/photon detectors and night-vision systems. Awarded the Bendix Corporation Graduate Fellowship to attend Stanford University in 1972.
Stanford Univeristy
Earned PhD in 1977, focusing on the theory and simulation of the newly-invented free-electron laser. His dissertation work explained how free-electron lasers function and became foundational to the field, influencing laboratories and industries worldwide and contributing to the eventual development of the world’s first x-ray laser.
Center for Space Physics, Rice University
Quantum Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara
Berkeley Research Associates
Naval Postgraduate School
Appointed Professor of Physics, combining teaching and research. Advised 86 Master’s students and 7 PhD students in laser physics and related fields.
- Received the International Free-Electron Laser Prize from the IEEE Laser and Electro-Optic Society.
- Elected Fellow of both the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
- Served as Principal Investigator on 80+ research contracts and published 160+ refereed papers.
- Named Distinguished Physics Professor, Naval Postgraduate School.
- Holds 5 patents, gives 100+ invited lectures worldwide.
- Guest Editor, IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics; Co-Editor, Free Electron Laser Handbook.
- Served on review panels for NAS, FASEB, ONR, NASA, and the Department of Energy.
- Became visiting scientist at multiple national labs and international universities.