Elsa M. Garmire

Elsa M. Garmire (b 1939 ) is an American physicist. She was the Sydney E. Junkins Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth College, where she had served as dean of Thayer School of Engineering. Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Inventors, she helped pioneer laser technology and is an expert in nonlinear optics. She has patented devices to enhance optical communications including lasers, waveguides, and detectors.

Garmire was an Optical Society (OSA) board member from 1983 to 1985 and was elected vice president in 1991. She served as the 1993 OSA president and has been active on many awards committees. Garmire is currently a member of the OSA Presidential Advisory Committee. In 2019 Garmire was named the first woman to become an OSA Honorary Member "For contributions to nonlinear optics and optoelectronics, leadership in linking science and public policy, and for service to OSA".