The Vassar Applied Optics Laboratory is at Vassar College, which is located at 124 Raymond Ave, Poughkeepsie, New York. It was founded by Professor Jenny Magnes, who has taught as an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Vassar since 2007. VAOL has previously collaborated with Noureddine Melikechi, Dean of the College of Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Technology at Delaware State University, and currently collaborates with with Kate Susman, Professor of Biology on the Jacob P. Giraud, Jr. Chair at Vassar. This has caused VAOL to stand out as a unique, interdisciplinary laboratory bringing creative biophysical experiments to the field and producing new research in biophysics, bio-optics, and more.