Plenary Speakers

Sir Michael Berry

Sir Michael Berry is a theoretical physicist at the University of Bristol, where he has been for more than twice as long as he has not. His research centres on the relations between physical theories at different levels of description (classical and quantum physics, ray optics and wave optics…). In addition to these deeply mathematical, often geometric, studies, he also delights in finding familiar phenomena illustrating deep concepts – the arcane in the mundane: rainbows, the sparkling of the sun on the sea, twinkling starlight, polarised light in the sky, tidal bores...

Talk Title: What we learn from rainbows

Maria Farsari

Dr. Maria Farsari is a Research Director at the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser (IESL) of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH) in Greece. She holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Durham (UK) and an undergraduate degree from the University of Crete. Her career has included both academic and industrial roles, including positions at DeLaRue Holographics and Xsil Ltd. Since joining FORTH in 2003, she has focused her research on laser-based micro- and nano-manufacturing, with particular emphasis on two-photon polymerization and its applications in photonics and bioengineering.

Dr. Farsari has contributed to a range of developments in microfabrication, including early work on maskless UV microfabrication and the use of spatial light modulators, and the development of photoresists for high-resolution 3D printing. Her recent work includes the fabrication of 3D auxetic scaffolds for tissue engineering, high-throughput holographic lithography, and multiphoton structuring of biomaterials. She has co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and has participated in several collaborative research projects at national and European level.

Talk Title: Light-enabled micro and nano 3D printing

Akira Furusawa

Akira Furusawa (born 1st December 1961) received his MS degree in applied physics and Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry both from The University of Tokyo, Japan, in 1986 and 1991, respectively.

He is currently Professor of Applied Physics, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, the Deputy Director of RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing, and Co-founder and Director of OptQC Corporation, which is a startup company for optical quantum computers.

Talk Title: Optical Quantum Computers with Quantum Teleportation

Gail McConnell

Gail McConnell is Professor of Biophotonics at the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. Following a first degree in Laser Physics and Optoelectronics (1998) and PhD in Physics from the University of Strathclyde (2002), she obtained a Personal Research Fellowship from the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2003) and a Research Councils UK Academic Fellowship (2005), securing a readership in 2008 and professorship in 2012. The work in Gail’s multidisciplinary research group involves the design, development, and application of new light microscopy technologies for biological and biomedical imaging, from the nanoscale to the whole organism. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, a Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society, and an Honorary Fellow of the British Biophysical Society.

Talk Title: New approaches to classical optics for multi-scale bioimaging

John Rarity

Professor John G. Rarity FRS FIOP is a leading expert in quantum technologies at the University of Bristol where he has been a professor since 2003. He is a former director of QET Labs and Photonics and Quantum group. His pioneering work in quantum optics and quantum communication focuses on single and multi-photon sources, quantum interferometry, entanglement demonstration and applications of quantum light. Rarity's group has worked on long range Quantum key distribution, initiating feasibility studies for quantum communications to space and collaborating on the notable 144 km free-space quantum key distribution experiment between Tenerife and La Palma in 2007. He also introduced the concept of lightweight low cost consumer QKD developing handheld systems that have since been adapted for Cube satellite QKD demonstrations including the ongoing demonstrator the SPOQC mission. In recent work he has been developing frequency agile single photon range-finding and using non-linear quantum interferometry for mid-IR gas sensing. His research has helped build the foundations for emerging quantum technologies that may soon impact many areas of science and everyday life. In recognition of his pioneering work in quantum interferometry he was awarded the IOP Thomas Young Medal in 1994 and for early contributions in quantum communications he was awarded the 2023 Micius prize.

Talk Title: The evolution of foundational quantum optics into quantum technology and back again

Birgit Stiller

Further information will be available here shortly.

Susumu Noda

Susumu Noda received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electronics from Kyoto University, Japan, in 1982, 1984, and 1991, respectively. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate from Ghent University, Belgium, in 2006. He began his career with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (1984–1988) before returning to Kyoto University in 1988, where he was appointed Full Professor in 2000. He is currently a Distinguished Professor at the Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study (KUIAS) and serves as the Representative Director of the Photonic-Crystal Laser Research Center. His research focuses on the physics and applications of photonic nanostructures based on photonic crystals. Over the course of his career, he has received numerous prestigious awards, including the IBM Science Award (2000), the Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP) Achievement Award on Quantum Electronics (2005), the OSA Joseph Fraunhofer Award/Robert M. Burley Prize (2006), the MEXT Commendation for Science and Technology (2009), the IEEE Nanotechnology Pioneer Award (2009), the Leo Esaki Award (2009), the Medal with Purple Ribbon (2014), the JSAP Outstanding Achievement Award (2015), the Japan Academy Prize (2022), and the Rank Prize (2026). He is also a Fellow of the IEEE, JSAP, and the Laser Society of Japan. For further details, please visit: https://kuias.kyoto-u.ac.jp/e/profile/noda/.

Talk title: Recent Progress and Future Prospects of Photonic-crystal Surface-emitting Lasers (PCSELs)