Four Best Student Paper Awards for B-PHOT at SPIE Photonics Europe 2026

Arié Nacar, Damilare Samuel Ojo, Maria Lopera and Natalia A. Gutiérrez Andrade, four PhD researchers at VUB Brussel Photonics (B-PHOT), have been awarded the Best Student Paper Award at SPIE Photonics Europe 2026 for their outstanding presentations and contributions to various photonics related topics. The four awards underline the breadth and quality of the research carried out at B-PHOT, spanning fabrication of photonic components, structural health monitoring, microscopy and environmental sensing.

Arié Nacar, PhD researcher at VUB B-PHOT, has been awarded the Best Student Paper Award at SPIE Photonics Europe 2026 for his outstanding presentation on the design and fabrication of ultra-compact 3D photonic lanterns.

The conference committee of the "Optical and Photonic Microsystems" conference at SPIE Photonics Europe 2026 voted Arié Nacar's presentation as the best student contribution in his session. His work, entitled "Design and fabrication of ultra-compact 3D photonic lanterns using two-photon polymerisation-based direct laser writing", showcases the potential of two-photon polymerisation (2PP)-based direct laser writing (DLW) as a fabrication platform for next-generation photonic components.

Arié Nacar is a PhD student at B-PHOT with Prof. Dr. Ir. Jürgen Van Erps and Prof. Dr. Tigran Baghdasaryan as his promoters and Dr. Koen Vanmol as his supervisor. His research focuses on two-photon polymerisation-based 3D nanoprinting combined with liquid crystal technologies for tunable photonics applications. In his award-winning presentation, he demonstrated how ultra-compact 3D photonic lanterns — components that bridge single-mode and multimode optical fibers — can be realised with remarkable precision using DLW, opening new avenues for optical communications, astrophotonics and sensing systems. A journal article about this research was recently published in the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics.

Arié shared his enthusiasm about the recognition: "I was thrilled when I got the news and still feel very grateful to be awarded this prize for my first presentation at an international conference. It was an amazing week in Strasbourg with the B-PHOT team, full of learning, meeting great people and also having fun. Receiving the award topped it all wonderfully!"

The recognition from the SPIE conference committee underlines the quality and novelty of the research carried out at B-PHOT. Committee chair Hans Zappe personally noted his enthusiasm for the work, stating that the presentation inspired at least one of his own PhD students in her research. The award was handed over to Arié on Thursday 16 April by Hans Zappe and Niels Quack from the Institut für Mikroelektronik Stuttgart, Germany.

Damilare Samuel Ojo, PhD researcher at VUB B-PHOT, has been awarded the Best Student Paper Award at SPIE Photonics Europe 2026 for his contribution to the conference “Optical Sensing and Detection IX”.

Damilare is a PhD researcher under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ir. Francis Berghmans and Dr. Ir. Sidney Goossens, in collaboration with researchers from KU Leuven and Flanders Make. His research focuses on optical fiber sensing technologies for structural health monitoring and predictive maintenance of industrial systems. In his award-winning presentation, he demonstrated how Fiber Bragg Grating sensors can be optimised for enhanced fault detection and localisation in rolling element bearings, paving the way for more accurate and reliable condition monitoring solutions. A journal article related to this research was also recently published in the IOP Journal of Physics: Photonics.

Commenting on the recognition, Damilare said: “Attending SPIE Photonics Europe 2026 in Strasbourg, France, was an incredibly rewarding experience, and I am deeply grateful for this recognition. Receiving the Best Student Paper Award is a testament to the quality and impact of the research carried out at B-PHOT and further reinforces the group's international reputation in optical fiber sensing and photonic technologies.”

Maria Lopera, PhD researcher at Brussels Photonics (B-PHOT), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, has received the Best Student Paper Award at the Unconventional Optical Imaging V conference during SPIE Photonics Europe 2026.

The award recognised both her presentation and manuscript entitled “Enhancing Digital Lensless Holographic Microscopy Through Logarithmic Dynamic Range”. The awarded work introduces a novel image-processing technique called Logarithmic Dynamic Range (LogDR), designed to improve the quality of digital lensless holographic microscopy images acquired under non-uniform illumination conditions. Such conditions are common in compact and low-cost imaging systems, which are essential for the development of portable microscopes intended for field applications. LogDR transforms hologram intensity values from a conventional linear scale into a logarithmic representation, effectively compensating for the uneven illumination profile typically produced by spherical wavefront sources. By enhancing the visibility of information already present in the recorded hologram, the method improves the visualisation of fine details and high-frequency features across the entire field of view. A key advantage of the proposed approach is its simplicity and efficiency: LogDR operates on single-shot acquisitions, does not require parameter tuning, and can be readily integrated into existing digital holographic microscopy workflows. Experimental results demonstrated improved image quality, particularly in regions affected by illumination falloff, while preserving the information required for quantitative analysis.

Maria is pursuing a joint PhD between Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Universidad EAFIT under the supervision of Heidi Ottevaere, Carlos Trujillo, and Yunfeng Nie. Her research focuses on lensless holographic microscopy and polarisation imaging for water-quality monitoring. Through the development of portable and cost-effective optical instruments, her work aims to enable the detection and characterisation of microplastics and microbiological contaminants in water, contributing to more accessible environmental monitoring technologies.

Natalia A. Gutiérrez Andrade, PhD researcher at VUB B-PHOT, has been awarded the Best Student Paper Award at the conference Biophotonics in Point-of-Care IV, held as part of SPIE Photonics Europe 2026.

The award recognises her contribution entitled “SPR Imaging in Microfluidic Flow for Individual Microplastic Particle Analysis”, which presented the latest advances from her doctoral research on photonic technologies for environmental monitoring. The award-winning research demonstrated recent developments in the application of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) for microplastic analysis. Building upon previously published work on polymer detection and SPR imaging, the study combined these approaches with microfluidics to enable the rapid characterisation of individual microplastic particles in liquid samples. The research contributes to the development of SPR as a complementary analytical method for microplastic analysis, addressing current challenges in the identification and characterisation of microplastics in environmental samples.

Natalia is a PhD researcher in the Biophotonics Research Group of B-PHOT working under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ir. Heidi Ottevaere, Prof. Dr. Ir. Wendy Meulebroeck, and Prof. Dr. Ir. Yunfeng Nie. Her research was carried out within the framework of the MONPLAS Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network, which focused on the development of novel methods for microplastic analysis in water samples. Her work centres on the development of a proof-of-concept SPR-based sensing platform for the detection and characterisation of microplastics in liquids. Throughout her PhD, she demonstrated the feasibility of using SPR to address multiple parameters relevant to microplastic analysis, including polymer identification and particle characterisation. The award-winning presentation represented the culmination of this research, bringing together the different methodologies developed during the project and demonstrating new capabilities of SPR for microplastic analysis.

Natalia's comments on the award: “Receiving this award is a great encouragement for the research results presented at the conference. SPIE Photonics Europe provided an excellent opportunity to connect with the SPR community, exchange ideas, and receive valuable feedback from researchers working in the field. I see this recognition as a welcome endorsement of the results achieved and of the potential of SPR as a tool for microplastic analysis. I hope these findings will encourage further research in this emerging area. Furthermore, the award highlights the innovative research carried out at B-PHOT to address pressing environmental challenges through photonic technologies.”

Together, these four Best Student Paper Awards highlight the depth and breadth of the photonics research carried out at B-PHOT, and further strengthen the group's international reputation across optical fabrication, structural health monitoring, imaging and environmental sensing. Congratulations to Arié, Damilare, Maria and Natalia on this well-deserved recognition!