Fiber Optic Sensing Association (FOSA) names Corning and Go! Foton execs to lead board
The Fiber Optic Sensing Association (FOSA) is transitioning its top leadership by naming industry veterans from Corning and Go! Foton, which says it will position it to drive new growth and innovation in the fiber sensing market.
Nilson Gabela, senior manager of market and technology development of optical cable at Corning, has been named Chairman of FOSA's Board of Directors, while Dr. David Chen, CTOof Go!Foton has been named Vice Chairman.
These appointments follow the transition of Jon Beckman, Director of Instruments Business Operations at VIAVI Solutions, who stepped down as Chairman due to expanded responsibilities at his company but will continue his valuable service as a Board member.
"This leadership transition represents a natural evolution as our industry enters an unprecedented period of growth," said Beckman.
Targeting new opportunities
FOSA’s leadership change reflects the desire to target new opportunities for fiber optic sensors.
The new chair and vice chair will bring their experience to advance the use of fiber optic sensors.
Gabela comes to the chairman role with his experience in optical fiber technology development and global market strategy. In his role at Corning, Gabela leads strategic initiatives in advanced optical applications.
One of the traits Gabela brings is his ability to advance next-generation optical solutions, which aligns with FOSA's mission to accelerate the adoption of fiber optic sensing across industries ranging from infrastructure monitoring to renewable energy and smart cities.
Nilson Gabela said that "fiber optic sensing is becoming essential infrastructure for the digital economy.”
Likewise, Dr. Chen brings deep technical expertise and a proven track record of translating research into commercial applications.
At Go!Foton, Chen oversees the development of fiber optic sensing platforms.
"The convergence of artificial intelligence, IoT, and fiber optic sensing is creating unprecedented opportunities to solve real-world challenges," said Chen.
Expanding FOSA’s influence
With the new leadership in place, FOSA will continue to expand its educational initiatives, industry standards development, and market advocacy efforts.
The organization is focused on accelerating adoption in high-growth sectors, including:
- Smart Infrastructure: Advancing structural health monitoring and predictive maintenance solutions
- Energy Transition: Supporting renewable energy optimization and grid modernization
- Industrial IoT: Enabling next-generation process monitoring and automation
- Security and Defense: Developing advanced perimeter monitoring and threat detection systems
The leadership transition comes at a pivotal time in the global fiber optic sensing market, which is experiencing significant growth. This is being driven by increasing demand for real-time monitoring solutions and the expansion of smart infrastructure initiatives.
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Sean Buckley
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