Editorial – Changing the Picture: Women in Optical Security and Authentication

On International Women’s Day (8 March), we celebrate the female researchers, engineers, and leaders who have helped shape the optical and security printing industry.

It’s a women’s world! Some of the 250+ female participants at the Currency+Identity conference 2025 in Milan.

The evolution of holography is built upon the contributions of visionary scientists. Dr Valerie L Thomas, a NASA physicist, paved the way for 3D imaging in 1980 with her ‘Illusion Transmitter’, a groundbreaking device using concave mirrors that remains a foundational step in practical holographic systems.

Dr Donna Strickland, who shared the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics, changed the field of high-intensity physics with Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA). Her work made it possible to create ultra-short, powerful laser pulses used in advanced imaging and precision manufacturing.