The highly anticipated shortlist for the 2025 Photonics Frontiers Award has been officially unveiled, showcasing a remarkable array of groundbreaking projects that harness the power of light to address real-world challenges.
Following evaluation of dozens of entries by an independent panel of judges drawn from academia and industry, the shortlist represents their choice of the most innovative and impactful applications of photonics in areas ranging from environmental monitoring and healthcare to advanced manufacturing and communication technologies.
The shortlist, by application category, is as follows:
Imaging technologies
- Brake Disc Production Quality Assessment And Photonics Field Application, submitted by Marco Pistilli of the R&D Machine Vision Department at I.D.E.A.
- Advanced Lost Cargo Detection for Safer Autonomous Driving, submitted by David Cheskis, Vice-President, Industrial Business Unit, TriEye.
- Short Wavelength Infrared (SWIR) 3D Laser Line Profile Sensors for Outdoor Applications in the Agricultural, Transportation, Logistics, and Construction Markets, submitted by Ian Blasch, Senior Director, Jabil.
Biophotonics and healthcare applications
- Simultaneous Eye-safe Spectroscopy and Fundus Imaging Technology for Point-of-Care Detection of Traumatic Brain Injury – ‘EyeTBI', submitted by Pola Goldberg Oppenheimer, Professor in Microengineering and Bionanotechnology at the Institute of Healthcare Technologies and School of Chemical Engineering / University of Birmingham.
- Villuminator: Uniform Illumination for Enhanced Microscopy Imaging, submitted by Lihao Tan, Principal Optical Systems Engineer at V-BMB.
- Laser Ultrasound for Carotid Imaging and Diagnosis (LUCID), submitted by Francis Kalloor Joseph, Assistant Professor in the Biomedical Engineering group at the Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam.
Environmental monitoring and sustainability
- Multi-Spectral Sensing For Minimising Global Food Loss And Waste By Detecting The Ideal Harvesting Time, submitted by Abdel Karim Ruvalcaba-Perez on behalf of Friedrich Schiller University Jena, ams-OSRAM Group, and Fraunhofer IOF.
Laser technologies and applications
- Beam Shaping for Enhancing Electric Vehicle Welding Applications, submitted by Dr Alex Griffiths, Lead Engineer, PowerPhotonic
- Compact High-Energy Laser For Space Rocket Engine Ignition, submitted by Dmitry Tabakaev, Senior Scientist, Silicon Austria Labs
- Laser Quality Control for Sustainable Electronics Manufacturing, Mariia Zhuldybina, CEO, TRAQC
Optical communications and networking
- Solder-Reflow Resistant Injection Molded Thermoplastic Micro-Lens Array For Optical Coupling, submitted by Jos van Gisbergen, Chief Scientist Application Technology, SABIC
- Photonic Layer Security Post Quantum Transmission System, submitted by Dan Sadot, CEO, CyberRidge
- Robust Optical Ground Stations for LEO Laser Communications, submitted by Jean-François Morizur, CEO, Cailabs
Photonic and optical sensors
- Silicon Photonics Optical Gyroscope, submitted by Mario Paniccia, CEO, ANELLO Photonics
- Holographic eXtended Reality (HXR) platform, submitted by Mike Noonen, CEO, Swave Photonics
- Ultra Compact Digital Nano Spectrometer-on-a-Chip for Wearable, Mobile and IoT, submitted by Bill Choi, CEO, nanoLambda
Spectroscopy and analytical techniques
- White Light Transmission Spectroscopy for Rapid Quality Control in Nanoimprinted Sensors, submitted by Mike Hardy, Research Fellow, Smart Nano NI, Centre for Quantum Materials and Technologies, School of Maths and Physics, Queen's University Belfast
- Diamond-Enhanced ATR Fiber Probes for Robust Industrial Spectroscopy, submitted by Dr Viacheslav Artyushenko, Founder & Senior Adviser, art photonics.
The winner of the Photonics Frontiers Award 2025 will be announced at a ceremony held on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, during the Laser World of Photonics exhibition. This event will bring together leaders and innovators from across the global photonics community to celebrate these remarkable achievements.
Further details about the shortlisted projects will be available on the Electro Optics website in the coming weeks. We are also organising a series of webcasts showcasing the entries. You can register to join here:
- Wednesday, 21 May – Biophotonics and healthcare applications and Laser technologies and applications
- Wednesday, 28 May – Imaging technologies and Optical communications and networking
- Thursday, 29 May – Photonic and optical sensors; Environmental monitoring and sustainability; and Spectroscopy and analytical techniques
About the Photonics Frontiers Award
The Photonics Frontiers Award celebrates innovative projects where photonics plays a pivotal role in solving real-world challenges. Unlike awards that recognise individual achievements, this award amplifies groundbreaking applications from integrators, OEMs, academic institutions, and end-users. The award aims to connect breakthrough photonics technologies with the audiences that need them most, fostering collaboration and driving further innovation in the field.
"We are thrilled by the exceptional quality and breadth of applications received for the 2025 Photonics Frontiers Award," said Warren Clark, CEO of Europa Science, the parent company of Electro Optics. "The shortlisted projects truly exemplify the power of photonics to address some of the world's most pressing challenges and drive innovation across numerous sectors."
The independent judging panel, which includes Antonio Castelo, Technology Manager at EPIC; Alison McLeod, Director of Photonics Scotland; Chris Yates, President, EMVA; John Girkin, Professor of Biophysics at the University of Durham; John Lincoln, Chief Executive of the Photonics Leadership Group; and Miles Padgett, Royal Society Research Professor at the University of Glasgow said the shortlisted projects were recognised for their combination of:
- Innovative use of photonics: Demonstrating novel applications of light-based technologies to solve specific problems.
- Tangible impact: Exhibiting measurable improvements and benefits for end-users or processes.
- Growth potential: Showing the capability to unlock new markets and opportunities for photonics.
- Credible evidence: Providing robust supporting documentation and data to validate their claims.
- High-quality submissions: Presenting clear, detailed, and well-articulated entries.
Thank you again to all who entered. We look forward to seeing you at Laser World of Photonics in Munich (Hall B3; Stand 250).
