Podcast
Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast
Hosted by Endeavor Business Media · EN
Welcome to Laser Focus World’s Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast, produced by Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B. Here, we take a deep dive into the fascinating world of photonics and optics. With a legacy dating back to 1965, Laser Focus World has been a trusted source for comprehensive global coverage of technologies, applications, and markets in these dynamic fields. Following the Photons is an extension of that legacy.
This podcast — hosted by Justine Murphy, an editor with Laser Focus World and multimedia director of Endeavor Business Media’s Digital Infrastructure group — features interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting your journey in photonics, this podcast is your go-to resource for staying informed and inspired. Tune in and stay laser-focused on the future of light-based technologies.
17episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Versatile lasers of the future
6d ago00:20:54Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Host Justine Murphy talks with Félicie Albert, director of the Jupiter Laser Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Her years of expertise include work with high-intensity lasers, as well as involvement in LaserNetUS, a network of high-power lasers in North America.
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The ubiquitous perception
2w ago00:15:39Tap to summarizeHost Justine Murphy talked recently with Sebastian Bauer, CEO and co-founder of Ubicept. With a background in engineering, he says he's always thrived at the intersection of cutting-edge research and real-world innovation.
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Industry Insight: Eye on Finance
3w ago00:06:14Tap to summarizeThere is a lot of growth happening throughout the financial sector of the industry! In this episode, Host Justine Murphy takes a deeper look at some of that growth and its place in the advancement of photonics technologies.
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The electro-optical dynamic
4w ago00:14:49Tap to summarizeThis edition features Yvain Thonnart, a chief scientist in the digital ICs and systems division of the French research institute CEA-List, where he focuses on areas including networks-on-chip and integrating emerging photonics technologies. He talked recently with Host Justine Murphy about his work at CEA, and his team’s potentially game-changing development of the first dynamically channeled electro-optical router for photonic interposers.
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The data in deep space
May 500:13:34Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Erin Howard, a research scientist currently working at the University of Washington on the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, talks with Host Justine Murphy about their passion for exploring the universe through data, and the excitement in contributing to cutting-edge scientific discoveries.
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Research to expand technology
Apr 2800:18:35Tap to summarizeThis episode features Dr. Aleksandra Kaszubowska, an assistant professor of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Trinity College Dublin and an assistant professor and research fellow at the CONNECT Research Center. She talked with Host Justine Murphy about the exciting work her team is doing, as well as her vast research experience and the remarkable path that led to where she is today.
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Technicians: The heart of the industry
Apr 2100:23:48Tap to summarizeThis edition features Host Justine Murphy's chat with Dr. Brian Monacelli, a professor and director of Laser Technology at Pasadena City College in California. He’s also a Principal Optical Engineer and supervisor of the Optical Implementation group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. They recently discussed things like the importance of training technicians in hands-on laboratory skills, and he also offered some perspectives on the future of optics and the crucial role technicians will play.
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Aerotech quick chat: Co-packaged optics & the active alignment breakthrough
Apr 1700:13:19Tap to summarizeThis episode features a technical conversation about co-packaged optics, the rapid rise of interest in this technology, and why active alignment is a major manufacturing bottleneck in photonics. The discussion, sponsored by Aerotech, focuses on the company’s new PICAlign approach, developed in collaboration with SENKO and Santec, which aims to improve throughput, quality, and efficiency in optical device assembly. Talking with Host Justine Murphy, Aerotech Business Development Manager Justin Bressi explains how monitoring multiple optical channels at once and searching in all six degrees of freedom can improve alignment outcomes and reduce scrap. The conversation also touches on the broader data center and semiconductor ecosystem, where demand for faster, more efficient photonic systems is driving new investment and partnerships.
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Light News: April 14, 2026
Apr 1400:06:40Tap to summarizeHere's a roundup of some of the most interesting and exciting things happening in the photonics industry!
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The heart of chemistry
Apr 700:17:12Tap to summarizeHost Justine Murphy talked recently with Dr. Judy Wu, the Thomas A. Albright Professor of Chemistry at the University of Houston, where her work has included computational quantum chemistry to study light-activated chemistry. They discussed her work as a computational and organic chemist and professor, unconventional ways to boost the next generation of scientists, and her contributions toward bridging theory with real-world application.
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