Niels Quack, an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney, is improving the energy efficiency of photonic hardware by introducing micro- and nanomechanics in photonic integrated circuits. 

Quack and his team are researching novel types of micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) actuators, such as nanomechanical piezo-actuators in silicon photonics, and expect to produce response times at least 10 times faster than state-of-the-art components, along with reduced carbon footprint.