About Us
Chapter PHO36 (UK and Ireland Section)
The Photonics community of the UK and Ireland region stands on the verge of a very important geopolitical event. As the region prepares to leave the European Union after almost half a century, the need to promote technological advancement and cooperation between research, industry and academia is greater than ever before. The domain of photonics and optics is an emerging technology field with crucial advancements and milestones to achieve in the near and distant future.
Identifying this need, the IEEE UK and Ireland Section set out to establish a dedicated Photonics Chapter for the region. As a sub-Chapter of the IEEE Photonics Society, the Chapter was established after careful consideration and is led by Dr Richard Pitwon. The committee members bring together a unique balance of experience and enthusiasm from academia, industry pioneers and entrepreneurs.
Together, we have set out to establish UK and Ireland’s dedicated Photonics community. To achieve our mission for the photonics community of the region, we are participating in multiple conferences, assisting with technical committees for meetings and conferences of the region.
We organise a unique annual conference to bring together academia and industry under one roof – IEEE British and Irish Conference on Optics and Photonics, nicknamed the Christmas Lights Conference. We have also reinvented webinars and keynote talks by with our HOPES (Horizons of Optical, Photonics and Emerging Sciences) series.
IEEE British and Irish Conference on Optics and Photonics (BICOP)
The Conference is organised with a vision of bringing together the best of academia and industry together. Every December, the conference (in a Christmas-ready London) brings opportunities for exchanging views and presenting ideas; thought-provoking talks and extending networking relationships for the delegates.
Horizons of Optical, Photonics and Emerging Sciences (HOPES) Webinar Series
With this series, the IEEE UK and Ireland Photonics Chapter is taking a different approach to seminal webinars. Instead of focussing on a single piece of research and/or innovation, we invite highly impactful researchers to discuss the future of their research domains. This will allow the speaker to share their informed view of future innovations on a platform that encourages a true exchange for shaping the evolution of science. We hope that in such discussions, unique solutions in pure and interdisciplinary domains can be unravelled.
The Chapter and the IEEE Photonics Society is committed to providing equal opportunity to scientists and engineers, regardless of ethnicity, race, nationality, disability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, religion, gender, age, and/or personal identity. Learn more about the Society’s Commitment to Diversity, here.