The Photonics100 list celebrates the remarkable achievements of 100 leading individuals driving innovation in photonics and optical technology. These persons are reshaping the future of photonics with novel approaches to computing, AI-driven systems, innovations in medical devices and beyond. Their work is transforming entire sectors from aerospace and telecommunications to quantum technologies and healthcare. The Photonics100 list is curated by a panel of industry experts.

“I’m very happy to be on the Photonics 100 list, together with some other colleagues of the different photonic communities I am proud to be part of“, says Birgit Stiller. “The science of light and photonics have huge potential for the near and long future such as alternative computing approaches with optical neural networks, for quantum technologies and human-machine interactions.”

The main topics of Birgit Stiller's research group at the MPL evolve around quantum signal processing and optical computing. The focus is on light-sound interactions. The researchers use their knowledge spanning from nonlinear optics to quantum communications and from fiber optics to integrated photonics. Finally, the scientists aim at using the interaction of optical and mechanical waves for applications in quantum technologies and optical neural networks. Such a network could, for example, recognize language or be the foundation to a novel type of photonic quantum memory.