Paul Montgomery is an Emeritus Senior Research Scientist with the CNRS, at the Engineering science, computer science and imaging laboratory (ICube) in Strasbourg, France. He retired at the beginning of 2024. After doing a PhD in optical instrumentation and interferometry at Loughborough University (UK) in 1987, he carried out post-doctoral work at the University of Montpellier (France) until 1990 in high resolution near IR nanoscopy to study defects in semi-conductor materials. He joined the CNRS in 1991 and did pioneering work in white light interference microscopy, patenting a system and transferring the technology to Fogal Nanotech (Nîmes, France). He developed new modes of measurements beyond that of surface roughness and static 3D structure such as real time measurement of moving surfaces, tomographic imaging of defects inside transparent layers, and local spectroscopic and colorimetric mapping. In 2017, his group was amongst the first 3 to develop super resolution 3D profiling of nanomaterials using Linnik interferometry assisted by glass microspheres with improved lateral resolution. He has also been interested in developing the use of environmental chambers with interference microscopy for measuring specific parameters of materials such as the viscoelastic properties of ultra-thin polymer films, the evaporation of polymer micro-droplets and colloidal layers under immersion.

He has led the group working in interference microscopy since the year 2000, he led the Photonics Instrumentation and Processes (IPP) team at ICube from 2013-2017 and was head of the D-ESSP (electronics, systems and photonics) department and Deputy Director of ICube from 2018-2022. He has been the local Chair of SPIE Photonics Europe (Strasbourg, France) since 2018 and is presently a Member of the SPIE Board. He received the French National PEDR financial award for scientific excellence in research and education from 2018-2021 and is a Senior Member of SPIE, and a Member of IOP and SFO