News

Vrije Universiteit Brussel and its renowned B-PHOT Brussels Photonics research team hosted a landmark event at Square Brussels to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its pioneering master’s programme in photonics. This milestone celebration marked three decades of excellence in photonics research and education, bringing together international alumni, distinguished speakers, and key industry figures for a night of reflection, learning, and networking.

B-PHOT-onderzoeksdirecteur Hugo Thienpont neemt afscheid als vicerector Innovatie en Valorisatie aan de VUB. Zijn wetenschappelijke reis begon in Gooik, het dorp van zijn jeugd, en zal daar ook eindigen, nu hij voltijds terugkeert naar de onderzoeksgroep fotonica van de VUB. VUB sprak met professor Thienpont voor zijn laatste woorden als vicerector aan de universiteit.

B-PHOT research director Hugo Thienpont bids farewell as vice-rector for Innovation and Valorisation at VUB. His scientific journey began in Gooik, the village of his youth, and it will also end there, as he returns to VUB's photonics research group full-time. VUB spoke to Prof. Thienpont for his final words as vice-rector at the university.

B-PHOT will host an online introductory training course on photonics innovation on 24 September 2024. Join this exciting 2.5-hour training to understand how photonics technologies can be innovatively applied to your industry!

We were thrilled to have Jose Pozo, Chief Technology Officer at Optica, visit the Photonics Innovation Center! He captured the essence of our work in this fantastic video.

Prof. Heidi Ottevaere will be a featured speaker at the European Week of Regions and Cities 2024. The session 'Photonics in healthcare' will be held in Brussels on 9 October 2024.

PhD students Sara Abbasi and Mehdi Feizpour travelled to Rome to present at the XXVIII International Conference on Raman Spectroscopy (ICORS 2024).

Earth Overshoot Day marks the moment each year when humanity’s consumption of ecological resources surpasses what Earth can regenerate in that year. In 2024, this critical day falls on August 1st. At B-PHOT, we are dedicated to creating a sustainable future through the innovative use of photonics and the unique properties of light.

B-PHOT will co-organise the fifth edition of the photonics networking event bePOM, hosted at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. On 19 and 20 September 2024, this free two-day event will allow early-career and established researchers to (re)discover and learn about the ongoing research topics in Belgium.

Optica's Sensing and Imaging Congresses brought together the brightest minds in optical science to Toulouse, including four B-PHOT researchers. Prof. Heidi Ottevaere, Prof. Lien Smeesters, Dr. Tatevik Chalyan, and PhD researcher Maria Lopera represented B-PHOT through their compelling presentations and active participation in panel discussions.

The EIC Pathfinder project VortexLC will host a free workshop on the latest advances in microfabrication techniques for polymers, glass and silicon, with a focus on microfluidic devices. The workshop will be held on September 3rd, 2024 at the VUB Photonics Campus in Gooik, Belgium.

B-PHOT and VUB spin-off BIO INX, a leading company in bio-ink technologies, has launched the first biodegradable and biocompatible resin with shape memory properties for light-based (bio)printing. This innovative material can be deformed into a temporary shape after 3D printing and returns to its original printed shape when heated to body temperature.