Grace Annese, Software Engineer at Circle Optics and a 2025 TechRochester Emerging Technology Woman of the Year nominee, has been named Circle Optics Employee of the Month for December. Her exceptional contributions across multiple mission driven imaging programs reflect both technical command and creative intuition.
For Annese, imaging science is where art, physics, and mathematics meet. She sees visual fidelity not as an aesthetic choice but as the basis for trust.“Visual fidelity means accurate data,” Annese explains. “It is about confidence that what you see is what is actually there.” She reminds others that accuracy starts long before an image appears on a screen. Every step in the imaging chain matters, from the moment photons enter a lens to the sensors that receive them and the processing that shapes the final frame. “With most consumer devices, you just press a button and capture a moment,” she says. “In reality there is an entire chain behind that instant. Every step matters if you want accuracy.”
Engineering Manager Steve Feller has this to say:
“Annese recently led the Circle Optics team during a field test with SRC, Inc., where she coordinated preparation, system setup, and on-site evaluation with clarity and composure. Field tests involve many moving parts, and Annese ensured that the imaging system was assessed methodically and that the team captured the data needed to understand real world performance. Her steady approach supported productive collaboration with the SRC team and helped Circle Optics gain valuable insight into how the system behaves outside the laboratory environment.”
We were grateful for the opportunity to participate in the test and look forward to our continued learning with SRC, Inc., as our relationship develops.
In this installment of Stitchless: Circle Optics in Focus, Software Engineer Grace Annese and Computer Engineer David Krauthamer share how the interplay of science, art, and computation brings panoramic vision to life.
