Tayyab Suratwala

Program Director, Optics &
Materials S&T

Tayyab Suratwala is program director for Optics and Materials Science & Technology (OMST). He directs and oversees OMST operations, which encompasses the optics supply for laser programs in the directorate, the NIF optics recycle loop, and the accompanying materials science and technology, including damage science and mitigation and optical fabrication.

Suratwala leads the NIF and Photon Science Directorate’s materials science and technology development, which underpin the ability of NIF&PS to develop, operate, and apply some of the world’s most advanced laser systems to its national security and Discovery Science missions.

During his 24-plus-year career at LLNL, he has contributed to both optics and targets for NIF. He has been instrumental in developing the laser phosphate glass amplifiers, increasing the damage performance of fused silica optics, improving the quality and yield of target ablators and tents, increasing the inertial confinement fusion target fabrication rate, and developing novel optical fabrication processes and techniques.

In addition, he has performed extensive research in various fields including grinding and polishing, fracture behavior in glasses, slow crack growth, optical properties of glasses, sol-gel chemistry, and laser damage mitigation, resulting in more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts. A fellow of the Optical Society of America, he is the author of the book, Materials Science and Technology of Optical Fabrication.

Suratwala received his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the University of Arizona in 1996. Click here for a list of his publications.