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12 December 2024 - ICFO

The Photonics Career Symposium

9:00 to 9:30

Registration

9:30 to 9:40

Welcome words

Silvia Carrasco

Silvia Carrasco

KTT Director at ICFO

9:40 to 10:10

The Photonics landscape

Robert Sewell

Robert Sewell

Head of Academic Affairs at ICFO

10:10 to 11:20

Photonics is everywhere - Panel moderated by Alastair Cunningham

Aleksandros Stavrinadis

Aleksandros Stavrinadis

European Patent Attorney at Balder IP Law S.L.

Alina Hirschmann

Alina Hirschmann

Head of Science Communication at ICFO

Carmen Rubio Verdú

Carmen Rubio Verdú

Group Leader at ICFO

Javier Argüello-Luengo

Javier Argüello-Luengo

Assistant Professor at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

Jordi Prat

Jordi Prat

Manager Data Scientist at Dribia Data Research

Mustafa Balci

Mustafa Balci

Project Manager at Qurv Technologies SL

11:20 to 11:50

Coffee break*

11:50 to 12:50

Hot topics in photonics - Tech Talks, moderated by Silvia Carrasco

Photonics for Personalized Medicine

Photonics for Personalized Medicine

Ariadna Martínez Marrades, KTT Project Portfolio Manager (Health)

AI for Boosting Productivity in Photonics

AI for Boosting Productivity in Photonics

Kevin Schädler, Director & Head of Product Development at Axiomatic_AI EU

Trends in Photonic Integrated Chips

Trends in Photonic Integrated Chips

Miquel Rudé, Lead Photonics at Quside Technologies

12:50 to 13:20

Testimonials by researchers, moderated by Zoi Melissari

Alisa Tanaka

Alisa Tanaka

Predoctoral researcher at ICFO/Sant Joan de Déu

Barbara Polesso

Barbara Polesso

Postdoctoral researcher at ICFO

Michal Gwizdala

Michal Gwizdala

Chief Science Officer at Kelp Blue Biotech B.V.

Mónica Canabal-Carbia

Mónica Canabal-Carbia

Predoctoral researcher at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Pablo García Gómez

Pablo García Gómez

Manager at Beamagine SL

Raúl Lahoz Sanz

Raúl Lahoz Sanz

Predoctoral researcher at ICCUB (University of Barcelona)

13:20 to 13:30

Building the Future of Optics and Photonics in Ghana: A KNUST and SPIE collaborative initiative

Akyana Britwum

Akyana Britwum

Lecturer at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technololgy

13:30 to 14:45

Lunch & Networking*

16:00 to 17:00

ICFO Ph.D. & Postdoc Poster session

17:00

End of the CARLA camp

* Provided by ICFO

Funded by

In collaboration with

With the support of

Trustees

Bio

PhD, MBA, KTT Director at ICFO. Vice-chair of the SPIE Chair for Diversity in Photonic Sciences at ICFO, she served as vice-president of the Spanish mirror of the European platform Photonics21, as a Member of the Board of SECPhO and of the Investments Committee of “Caixa Invierte Start”. Currently a member of the Board of Directors of Elisava-Barcelona School of Design and Engineering and in the Board of Directors of several ICFO spin-off companies, Carrasco was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and enjoyed research stays at several USA institutions, including the College of Optics, University of Central Florida, the Photonics Center, Boston University, and Harvard University, Boston. She received the Fem Talent Award in 2013 and the Economy and Innovation Castelldefels City Award in 2019. Already at ICFO in 2016, Silvia Carrasco created ICFO’s KTT Unit, in charge of the innovation, technology transfer and outreach activities. She has a broad experience in IPR and outreach management, resulting in a patent portfolio of more than 100 patent families and a Corporate Liaison Program. She has created ICFO’s LaunchPad, a deep-tech start-up incubator where eleven spin-off companies have been launched that currently includes new ventures in various stages of incubation.

About the Institution

The Knowledge and Technology Transfer (KTT) Team at ICFO plays a key role at the interface with the industrial and corporate worlds maximizing the flow of information, knowledge, technology and talent. The KTT Team is responsible for establishing strategic alliances and collaborations with industry, the private sector in general and all types of collaborators. With experience in both business and research, KTT develops a customized business plan that mutually benefits the company and ICFO.

The results are flexible tech transfer alliances with our partners that address their broad needs and interests, from specific research and consultancy projects, co-development, launching of joint ventures, joint labs, and personnel exchange programs, licensing, to other initiatives such as individualized life-long learning courses, workshops, priority recruitment and networking. The KTT Team is also responsible for the management of ICFO’s intellectual property portfolio, fostering entrepreneurial activities and spin off creation and the ICFO outreach program, among others.

Bio

Dr. Alina Hirschmann obtained a double B.Sc. degree in Physics and Astrophysics from Florida Institute of Technology- FloridaTech. She obtained her PhD degree in Astrophysics from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya- UPC (Barcelona) through the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC). In 2018, she obtained a master’s degree in Corporate Communication Management from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) in Barcelona.

She has more than 15 years of experience in the field of Science Communication. At ICFO, she is Head of the Science Communication team, which gives visibility to the research carried out at the institute by sharing the latest scientific discoveries, increasing scientific knowledge and understanding of science, and helping to raise awareness about its impact on society.

About the Institution

ICFO is a CERCA research centre member of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, founded in 2002 by the Government of Catalonia and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · Barcelona Tech, both of which are members of ICFO’s board of trustees along with the Cellex and Mir-Puig Foundations, philanthropic entities that have played a critical role in the advancement of the institute. Located in the Mediterranean Technology Park in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, the institute currently hosts 500 people, organized in 26 research teams that use 80 state-of-the-art research laboratories. Research lines encompass diverse areas in which photonics plays a decisive role, with an emphasis on basic and applied themes relevant to medicine and biology, advanced imaging techniques, information technologies, a range of environmental sensors, tunable and ultra-fast lasers, quantum science and technologies, photovoltaics and the properties and applications of nano and quantum materials such as graphene, among others. In addition to three consecutive accreditations of the Severo Ochoa national program for top research excellence, ICFOnians have been awarded 16 elite ICREA Professorships as well as 50 European Research Council grants. ICFO is very proactive in fostering entrepreneurial activities, spin-off creation, and creating collaborations and links between industry and ICFO researchers. To date, ICFO has helped create 11 start-up companies.

Bio

Carmen Rubio Verdú embarked on her academic journey studying Chemistry, but mid-way through her bachelor’s studies, she discovered her true passion for physics. This realization led her to relocate to San Sebastián (Spain) to pursue her Ph.D. at CIC nanoGUNE. During her doctoral research, she delved into the study of the smallest magnets: magnetic atoms, exploring the energy scales that govern these minute magnets and strategies for their manipulation.

Her academic pursuits expanded as she explored two-dimensional superconductors, eventually leading her to undertake a postdoctoral position in the United States at Columbia University. During her time there, she focused on researching the electronic properties of twisted graphene structures and investigated the role of electronic correlations. In 2023, Carmen started her own research group at ICFO with the objective of understanding the origins of superconductivity in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene. Her group utilizes low-temperature Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy to examine correlated states with atomic precision and ultra-low energy resolution.

About the Institution

STM on 2D quantum materials research group focuses on studying the correlated phases emerging in two-dimensional systems using low-temperature Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy (STM/STS). Two-dimensional materials, such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, are ideal for engineering materials with atomic-plane precision. Their layered structures allow exfoliation to the monolayer limit and the creation of heterostructures with novel properties by stacking and twisting layers. Recent advancements highlight that both the choice of materials and the rotational angle between their atomic lattices are crucial for their properties, as exemplified by magic-angle graphene. This system displays a range of behaviors, from correlated insulating states to superconductivity, depending on band occupancy.

Using STM/STS at temperatures around 300 mK, the group investigates atomic and electronic structures with high spatial and energy resolution. This approach allows them to explore mechanisms behind phenomena like superconductivity in magic-angle graphene. They are also interested in other systems with complex phase diagrams, such as rhombohedral graphene and twisted transition metal dichalcogenides, which exhibit intriguing phases like Mott insulators, Wigner crystals, and spin liquids. These studies aim to unravel the fundamental mechanisms driving these exotic states.

Bio

Alisa Tanaka conducted her master’s as a double degree program between Keio University (Japan) and Ecole Centrale Méditerranée (France). She conducted her master’s research and wrote her thesis on cellular chemical biology, and also has experience in optics through her internship at Institut Fresnel. Interested in conducting further research in both fields, she is now a first-year PhD student at ICFO in the Super resolution Light microscopy and Nanoscopy (SLN) group in collaboration with Neuromuscular group in Sant Joan de Déu Hospital under the FLIGHT MCSA COFUND program. Her project aims to find therapeutics and diagnostics for muscular dystrophy, a progressive disease with no cure. She utilizes cutting edge optics systems in the SLN facility to see the disease at the cellular and molecular levels to unveil the differences in healthy, diseased, and treated tissue models provided by the hospital.

About the Institution

SLN group, leaded by Dr. Pablo Loza-Alvarez at ICFO, conducts research in bioimaging by developing advanced microscopy techniques at the intersection of photonics and biology. Their work focuses on cutting-edge microscopy and super-resolution imaging, including beam engineering, wavefront control, and integrating novel light sources with tailored beam or pulse parameters. They also explore innovative contrast agents, both endogenous and exogenous, for various biomedical samples and imaging conditions.To enhance imaging performance, they design algorithms that improve resolution, contrast, speed, and penetration depth while minimizing aberrations. A priority is making imaging techniques less damaging to samples, reducing phototoxicity and photodamage, and enabling longer observation periods with high sample viability. These methods are applied across a range of scales, from in vivo imaging of large organisms to subcellular structures.

Additionally, the group develops algorithms and data analysis pipelines to process and quantify the high-resolution images produced by their advanced microscopes, supporting a wide variety of biological and biomedical research applications.

Through the Sant Joan de Déu Research Foundation, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu conducts research to find new and better treatments for paediatric diseases. As a university hospital, they contribute to the training of health professionals, together with the Universitat de Barcelona. Their goal is not only to promote and encourage the training of professionals in order to improve the health of the patients and the community, but also to advance scientific and human knowledge.

Bio

Dr. Akyana Britwum is a lecturer in the Department of Physics at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. His expertise includes synthesizing and characterizing multiferroic perovskites and ferroelectric thin films, with applications in photovoltaic technologies. He is also focused on developing low-cost instrumentation for low-resourced laboratories, addressing the need for accessible scientific tools in underserved communities.

Dr. Britwum is one of two Principal Investigators (PIs) for the Ghana Photonics and Optics Laboratory, funded by SPIE, which aims to establish a centre of excellence in photonics and optics. The lab will train students and conduct research in areas such as biophotonics, quantum optics, laser optics, microscopy, and low-cost instrumentation, contributing to capacity building in Ghana’s underdeveloped photonics sector.

As an advisor to the KNUST Photonics Student Chapter, affiliated with Optica and SPIE, Dr. Britwum fosters a collaborative environment, promoting research and industry linkages. His outreach programs, reaching over 4,000 students in 2024, focus on inspiring photonics interest in underserved communities, especially among girls. Through research, mentorship, and outreach, Dr. Britwum is advancing photonics, renewable energy, and STEM education in Ghana.

Dr. Britwum’s initiatives are shaping a future where photonics, advanced materials, and low-cost scientific instrumentation play a pivotal role in addressing Ghana’s scientific and technological challenges.

About the Institution

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), located in Kumasi, Ghana, is one of Africa’s leading institutions for science, technology, and innovation. Established in 1951, KNUST has grown into a vibrant academic community with a student population of nearly 90,000. Renowned for its commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement, the university is pivotal in advancing knowledge and fostering sustainable development in Ghana and beyond.

KNUST is organized into six colleges: the College of Science, College of Engineering, College of Health Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Art and Built Environment, and College of Humanities and Social Sciences. These colleges offer a wide array of programs, ranging from undergraduate to postgraduate and professional levels, equipping students with the skills and knowledge to tackle complex global challenges.

The university also emphasizes practical education and innovation, bridging the gap between academia and industry. Through strong international collaborations, cutting-edge research, and impactful community outreach, KNUST prepares its students to be leaders and problem-solvers in their respective fields. Its graduates are known for their ingenuity and dedication, driving progress across Ghana, Africa, and the world.