Dr. Fontana is a Research Physicist in the Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.. He earned his bachelor degree in physics from the California Polytechnic University in 2004 and his Ph.D. in chemical physics from the Liquid Crystal Institute in 2011. He was awarded a National Research Council Postdoctoral Associateship at the Naval Research Laboratory in 2011. In 2013 he was hired as a Jerome and Isabella Karle Distinguished Fellow at the Naval Research Laboratory. Dr. Fontana’s research programs lie at the interface between physics, chemistry and biology. His research is primarily focused on developing nanocomposites with unique optical properties and transitioning these properties to functional materials.