David Vega

My Career Journey

I have been with Ansys for a little less than a year. I joined the company through the acquisition of Zemax LLC.

I started my career in optics early as an undergraduate physicist. Over the years, I participated in projects such as the GEMINI planet imager at NASA and collaborated to invent one of the smallest endoscopes in medicine to detect ovarian cancer. During this time, I also taught modeling at the University of Arizona. I used OpticsStudio, but never thought I would come to work at Ansys all these years later.

How I’d Explain My Job to a Kindergartener

I play with light using glass. For example, I can create a rainbow using a triangle made of glass and a light bulb. Using some of my toys, I help engineers understand how light works in things like microscopes, cameras, and telescopes.

What I Actually Do

As an R&D application engineer, I design and evaluate light modeling tools to help develop the next generation of optical systems. When we have identified an innovative solution to an existing problem or when our customers come to us with a limitation, my job is to design a modeling solution and make a prototype that includes the related physics. A developer implements the prototype in OpticStudio as a new tool. After the new tool is implemented, I test it to ensure it provides the expected results before it goes to quality testing, where we confirm that it solves the customer’s original problem.

Why I Choose Ansys

There are several reasons why I choose Ansys. First, I am in one of the best teams I have ever had the honor of working with within a company. Second, the technological advances in optics that we enable at Ansys are unparalleled by any other company worldwide. And finally, the support and flexibility I receive in my job are excellent. I also like how open people are to helping, supporting, and contributing to projects that are not their own — making everyone’s lives easier.

A Sense of Belonging

My immediate team is a crucial factor in my sense of belonging. The work ethics of my direct colleagues are compatible with my own even though we are all from different backgrounds and located all over the world. As a Hispanic engineer with deep roots in Mexican culture, I have faced systemic disadvantages but not here at Ansys.

My Best Advice

The resources needed to complete your job and advance your career are widely available. I would advise others to take advantage of all the connections and resources available at Ansys. People at Ansys are willing to help and collaborate.

Getting involved in exciting projects with support from direct management and colleagues reassures my capabilities and skills and creates an environment that enables me to thrive.

Getting Involved

Within Ansys, I am a Latino Connection employee resource group member. As a person belonging to a minority, I feel like we have so much work to do related to equity, and I enjoy getting involved with like-minded people who are working towards an equitable future. I would not be here today if it were not for people that believed I could be as capable as anyone else. Those mentors that trusted me made a difference for me. In an equitable workplace, I feel it’s essential also to find support for you as an individual.

Within the industry, I am a member of the two largest optical societies in the world: Optica and SPIE. I enjoy the conferences they organize since I meet and greet some of the most intelligent engineers and scientists on the planet.

Within the Industry

Within the industry, I am a member of the two largest optical societies in the world: Optica and SPIE. I enjoy the conferences they organize since I meet and greet some of the most intelligent engineers and scientists on the planet.

What You Might Not Know

I enjoy music so much that I have probably one of the largest collections of headphones. I have been learning to landscape while remodeling my backyard.