Durgesh S. Vaidya

“A lasting memory I have of the city of Buffalo is the dignity and understanding that people in the community, including my host family, afforded to kicker Scott Norwood afterSuperBowl XXV.  It taught me a valuable lesson on how to treat people that fall short despite their hard work and best efforts, even in a highly competitive landscape”

- Durgesh

Durgesh S. Vaidya PhD 1997

Director of Research and Development
OFS

Dr. Durgesh S. Vaidya is Director for Research & Development with global responsibilities for optical fiber and connectivity innovation at OFS. He is accountable for product and process development as well as technology strategy for telecommunication applications such as Undersea, Long Haul, Metro/Access, Datacenters, High Performance Computing, Fiber to the Home, and Mobile Backhaul transmission for OFS locations around the world.  Prior to this appointment, he served as Senior Manager, Fiber Draw Manager, and Member of Technical Staff at Bell Labs, Lucent Technologies.

At Bell Labs and now OFS, he has led numerous product and process development projects. These comprise the design and commercialization of novel type of glass optical fibers and connectivity solutions that enable very high transmission rates in minimal sizes, as well as polymer coatings that provide easy handling of optical cables. His technical contributions in the area of fabrication methods, waveguide characterization, and transmission reliability have been published and presented in fiber optic journals and conferences internationally.  He holds three patents in the area of design, reliability, and performance improvement of optical fibers. He is the recipient of the OFS Recognition Award in 2004 and 2009. His group’s work has been featured by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Dr. Vaidya holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, India, a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, from The State University of New York at Buffalo, and Executive Education from MIT Sloan School of Management.  He is a member of Optical Society of America and a Six Sigma Black Belt from the American Society for Quality.  Additionally, Dr. Vaidya is a Board Member for Kalashri of Boston, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting performing arts in the community, and often using it as a vehicle to support charitable causes for underprivileged children across the world. He currently resides with his wife and two children in the Boston area.

"A lasting memory of the CBE department I have is the interdisciplinary nature of the projects and the collaborative spirit between the Faculty, all with a common goal of performing research at its highest level.  The cross-functional training and mentoring I received from my professors, as well as the demonstration of selfless teamwork I observed through their actions, has stood me in good stead in my professional career.  A lasting memory I have of the city of Buffalo is the dignity and understanding that people in the community, including my host family, afforded to kicker Scott Norwood after SuperBowl XXV.  It taught me a valuable lesson on how to treat people that fall short despite their hard work and best efforts, even in a highly competitive landscape."

Learn more