Optical tests for infectious diseases, augmented and virtual reality, lidar for autonomous vehicles, integrated photonics and quantum computing are just some of the biggest technologies the sector is working on,said Hausken.
‘What’s great about photonics is that there are always several active opportunities, large and small,’ he said.
Hausken is concerned with the impact of global political developments: ‘In the last two years there was a lot of talk about supply chains and the risk of recession, but the retreat from a “flat” global economy is a much bigger and more permanent change.’
He believes research should exist in a virtuous cycle: ‘It’s a mistaken idea that innovation flows only from the ivory tower of R&D to manufacturing. That is the traditional view, but not representative of reality. More often, it’s a complex web of feedback loops from manufacturing that moves innovation forward. It’s the work of thousands of engineers, technicians, and yes, R&D scientists.’
You can find Hausken online at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-hausken-a59103/ and he is a regular attendee at OFC, Laser World of Photonics, and Photonics West.
Organisation: Optica (formerly OSA)
Role: Science adviser
Based in: Silicon Valley, California, USA
Education: PhD from University of California, Santa Barbara, Electrical Engineering