I believe the phrase “It takes a village to raise a child” describes my career very well. From the very beginning, my career choices have been shaped by my community and network: my high school STEM teacher, my research advisors, my classmates, my work colleagues, my professors, my friends, my family, and my husband — all of these people had an impact on the development of my career as an optical scientist.

I am a prolific inventor. I received my first two patents when I was in grad school, covering polymer for freeform optics and infrared materials. Later, as an optical scientist at Meta Reality Labs, I was able to use my creativity to innovate in the areas of augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), optical materials, electronics, sensors, and photonics. Now, as a hardware developer at Amazon Prime Air, I am innovating technology for commercial drone delivery. As of today, I hold 30 US patents.

Despite loving science from a young age, I never thought I could make a living from being a scientist since I was part of a low-income community in Mexico. It just wasn’t my reality; it felt like science fiction. Studying and working hard were my only tools back then. Subsequently, I was able to secure a full-tuition scholarship from the University of Texas at Brownsville; later, I secured fellowships and research assistantships for my doctoral studies at the College of Optical Sciences at University of Arizona. After all the hard work, I became an optical scientist. My story is not science fiction — now it’s just science!

Some insights I have learned: Collaboration is a great way to increase your career scope, build relationships within your organization, and broaden your impact. However, do not forget to also prioritize your own projects as this builds leadership skills, strengthens your technical expertise, and cultivates your decision-making skills.

I also believe that balancing your career with your personal life is crucial for success. For instance, in the last three years, I summited four of the five volcanos (>8400 ft elevation) in Washington state. This has helped me to challenge myself outside of my STEM life and motivates me to continue developing my optics skills. I hope to have a lasting impact, and that my scientific contributions and outreach leadership help to open and preserve educational STEM opportunities for women and minorities across the world.

Liliana Ruiz Diaz
Hardware Development Engineer, Amazon Prime Air
Born in Mexico / Resides in United States
Educational Background: BS and MS in Physics, University of Texas at Brownsville, United States; MS and PhD in Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, United States