Michael E. McConney is the lead scientist in charge of both the Liquid Crystal Program and the Photorefractive Program within the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate of Air Force Research Laboratory. He received BS degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Iowa in 2004 and his Ph.D.
in Polymer Materials Science and Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2009. Dr. McConney is actively involved in research in optics, photonics, and novel anisotropic materials. He started at Air Force Research Laboratory in 2009 as a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow working in polymer stabilized photonic liquid crystals. Since that time, his cross-cutting research has included many different areas including shape changing light-responsive liquid crystal elastomers, room temperature thin film growth of 2D nanoelectronic materials through laser treatment and microwave nanoantennas enabled with novel multiferroic materials. His current work involves exploring stimuli responsive structured photonic properties of liquid crystals and photorefractive materials. His work has resulted in over 40 peer-reviewed publications that have received over 2200 citations, over 50 international conference presentations and has been featured in Popular Mechanics, National Public Radio, and Discovery Channel in Canada.