Biography
Ronald G. Driggers is a Professor at the University of Central Florida’s College of Optics and Photonics and works in the area of electro-optical and infrared imaging systems. Previously, he was appointed to the Senior Executive Service as the Superintendent of the Optical Sciences Division at the Naval Research Laboratory in 2008. There, he managed the efforts of more than 200 scientists and engineers and over $100M in research and development programs. Before 2008, he was the Director of the Modeling and Simulation Division at the U.S. Army’s Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) and a brief period as the Chief of the Electro-Optics and Photonics Division at the Army Research Laboratory. Dr. Driggers received a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Memphis in 1990, is the author of five books on Infrared and Electro-Optics Systems and has published over 130 research papers. He was Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Optical Engineering (Taylor and Francis). He was selected as the 2002 Army Materiel Command’s Engineer of the Year, 2001 CERDEC Technical Employee of the Year, and 2001 NVESD Technical Employee of the Year. He is a U.S. Naval Reserve Officer and was selected as the 2001 Naval Engineering Duty Officer of the Year (William Kastner Award). He is also a Fellow of the International Society for Optical Engineering, the Optical Society of America, and the Military Sensing Symposium. In January 2010, he was assigned as Editor-in-Chief of SPIE’s flagship journal, Optical Engineering, and served as editor for five years. In January 2015, he took over duties as the Editor-in-Chief of the Optical Society of America’s journal Applied Optics.
Awards & Honors
- The Optical Society (OSA) Fellow
- International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) Fellow
- 2003 Military Sensing Symposium Fellow
Research Group
Research, development, analysis, and design for infrared systems, imagers, sensors, and components. Research applications include target acquisition, intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance (ISR), threat warning, and mobility (including degraded visual environments). Our group is heavily involved in, but not limited to, the development of new and innovative military and security materials, devices, cameras, systems, concepts, and design approaches. Current research includes infrared search and track (IRST) sensor performance as well as infrared countermeasures (IRCM) and new targeting sensors with deep electron wells. Our group has expertise that spans targets, backgrounds, atmospherics, optics, detectors, signal and image processing, displays, and human vision.
Scientists
Students
Publications
G.C. Holst, R. Driggers and O. Furxhi "Design considerations for advanced MWIR target acquisition systems" Applied Optics, 59(14), pp. 4339-4348 (2020)
R.G. Driggers "Engineering and laboratory notes version 3.0: editorial" Applied Optics, 58(34), ED8-ED8 (2019)
N. Mohammadian, O. Furxhi, R. Short, and R.G. Driggers "Performance comparison of sparse array millimeter wave imager configurations" Optics Express, 27(14), pp. 19292-19308 (2019)
S. Butrimas, R.G. Driggers, C. Halford, H. Gemar, G. Tener, M. Theisen, C. Olson, and G. Holst "Pulse visibility factor and its impact on infrared search and track systems" Optical Engineering, 58(7), 073105 (2019)
R.G. Driggers "Applied Optics year in review: editorial" Applied Optics, 58(13), pp. ED7-ED7 (2019)
R.G. Driggers, O. Furxhi, G. Vaca, V. Reumers, M. Gholipour Vazimali, R. Short, P. Agrawal, A. Lambrechts, W. Charle, K. Vunckx, and C. Arvidson "Burmese python target reflectivity compared to natural Florida foliage background reflectivity" Applied Optics, 58(13), pp. D98-D104 (2019)
H. Gemar, R.G. Driggers, G. Tener, C. Halford, N. Fudala, J. Hewitt, R. Short, T. Pace, D. Manville, D. Shelton, M. Theisen, D. Gaudiosi, and C. Olson "Validation of infrared sensor model with field-collected imagery of unresolved unmanned aerial vehicle targets" Optical Engineering, 58(5), 053107 (2019)
N. Fudala, R. Short, J. Hewitt, C. Halford, T. Pace, D. Manville, M. Theisen, C. Fearing, A. Dapore, C. Olson, G. Tener, D. Gaudiosi, K.A. Richardson, and R.G. Driggers "Comparison of midwave versus longwave intensity signatures for infrared search and track of small rotorcraft unmanned aerial vehicles" Optical Engineering, 54(8), 043107 (2019)
R. Short, D. Littlejohn, M. Scholten, C. Rivera-Ortiz, R. Vollmerhausen, and R.G. Driggers "Holistic approach to high-performance long-wave infrared system design" Optical Engineering (2019)
R.G. Driggers, C. Halford, M.J. Theisen, D.M. Gaudiosi, S.C. Olson, and G.D. Tener "Staring array infrared search and track performance with dither and stare step" Optical Engineering 57(5) (2018)
G. Holst, and R.G. Driggers "Small detectors in infrared system design" Optical Engineering 51(9) (2012)
R.G. Driggers, R. Vollmerhausen, J. Reynolds, J. Fanning, and G. Holst "Infrared detector size: how low should you go?" Optical Engineering 51(6), 063202 (2012)
E.J. Boettcher, K. Krapels, R.G. Driggers, J.F. Garcia, C. Schuetz, J. Samluk, L. Stein, W. Kiser, A. Visnansky, J. Grata, D. Wikner, and R. Harris "Modeling passive millimeter wave imaging sensor performance for discriminating small watercraft" Applied Optics, 49(19) pp.E58-E66 (2010)
R.H. Vollmerhausen, R.G. Driggers, and D.L. Wilson "Predicting range performance of sampled imagers by treating aliased signal as target-dependent noise" JOSA A, 25(8) pp. 2055-2065 (2008)
R.H. Vollmerhausen, S. Moyer, K. Krapels, R.G. Driggers, J.G. Hixson, and A.L. Robinson "Predicting the probability of facial identification using a specific object model" Applied Optics, 47(6) pp. 751-759 (2008)
S. Young, R.G. Driggers, B. Teaney, and E. Jacobs "Adaptive deblurring of noisy images" Applied Optics, 46(5) (2007)
C. Halford, A. Robinson, R.G. Driggers, and E. Jacobs "Tilted surfaces in short-wave infrared imagery: speckle simulation and a simple contrast model" Optical Engineering 46(05) (2007)
R.G. Driggers; J. Taylor Jr., and K. Krapels "Probability of identification cycle criterion (N50/N90) for underwater mine target acquisition" Optical Engineering 46(03) (2007)
K. Krapels, R.G. Driggers, E. Jacobs, S. Burks, and S. Young "Characteristics of infrared imaging systems that benefit from superresolution reconstruction" Applied Optics, 46(21) pp. 4594-4603 (2007)
K. Krapels, R.G. Driggers, D. Deaver, S.K. Moker, and J. Palmer "Midwave infrared and visible sensor performance modeling: small craft identification discrimination criteria for maritime security" Applied Optics, 46(30) pp.7345-7353 (2007)