December 2025: Jena LIGHT – PICPICPIC

November 2025: The 1st Workshop on Photonic Computing and Machine Learning

On 30 October – 4 November, 2025, Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture held the 1st Workshop on Photonic Computing and Machine Learning in Erice, Italy. This event, as a part of the International School on Physical Computing, brought together an incredible community of researchers and stakeholders from photonics, computing, and machine learning to explore how light-based systems and physical computing can shape the future of next-generation information processing. It was a true honour to be part of this inspiring event and to engage with the vibrant research community in such a historic and picturesque setting!

October 2025: FI EMS Young Scientists Retreat 2025

On September 29 - October 1, 2025, we attended the traditional fully funded Retreat organized by the Flagship Initiative EMS (Engineering Molecular Systems) supports early-career researchers and provides a space for communication and networking. That event brought together PhDs and PostDocs from a wide range of disciplines — including not just the physical sciences, but also biology, immunology, and medical research. It was an amazing opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and broaden our research perspectives. A highlight for our group was the Science Communication course by Nationales Institut für Wissenschaftskommunikation (NaWik), where we spent a full day diving into the principles of clear and impactful communication. 

October 2025: Quantum Effects 2025 Exhibition

Our group showcased our automated chip characterization setup at the Quantum Effects 2025 Exhibition in Stuttgart. Huge thank you from Neuromorphic Quantumphotonics to the Center for Integrated Quantum Science and Technology for organizing a smooth and inspiring experience! Our group members — Simone, Shabnam, Julius, Ravi, Qinlin, and Jan — made the most of this opportunity to present our contributions to the quantum technologies and engage in discussions for collaboration and improvement.

September 2025: WEHeraeusSeminar on Progress in Photonic Quantum Computing

From 21–24 September 2025, our PhD students Iurii Konyshev and Sanjeet Kumar had the privilege of participating in the WE Heraeus Seminar at the beautiful Physikzentrum Bad Honnef. This event brought together leading minds from academia and industry to explore the exciting progress and future directions in photonic quantum information processing. Iurii presented his poster on “Calculating Vibronic Spectra with a Linear Algorithm Based on Gaussian Boson Sampling”, and Sanjeet showcased his work on “On-Chip Electro-Optic Modulation in the UV-Regime”. A special thanks to the Wilhelm und Else Heraeus-Stiftung for generously supporting all participants with full-board accommodation — a gesture that made deep scientific exchange possible in a focused setting.

July 2025: ICTON 2025 in Barcelona

Neuromorphic Quantumphotonics participated in International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks 2025 hosted by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Two of our postdocs took the stage to present their exciting developments: Rongyang Xu – Focused Ion Beam Deposition-Assisted Higher-Order Mode Conversion in Asymmetric Directional Couplers, and Shabnam Taheriniya – Tunable Light-Matter Interactions in 3D Printed Fluorescent Materials for Quantum Applications. We were proud to see their hard work featured at this leading event in photonics and quantum technologies.

April 2025: PHOENICS Project Meeting at IBM Research, 2025

On April 8, Neuromorphic Quantumphotonics took part in a productive project meeting hosted at IBM Research in Zürich, as part of the ongoing PHOENICS collaboration. With the project deadline approaching at the end of June, this session was a valuable opportunity to align on progress and next steps. Looking ahead, we’re excited to continue working together as we approach the final phase of PHOENICS! 

April 2025: PhoQuant project meeting in Berlin

Neuromorphic Quantumphotonics participated in a project meeting on April 2–3, 2025 at the Center for the Science of Materials Berlin (CSMB), Zentralinstitut der Humboldt-Universität. The event was focused on our work under the PhoQuant project, funded by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung. Iurii Konyshev, a PhD student in our group, presented our latest advancements in the manufacturing of Waveguide-integrated Photon Number Resolving Detectors, highlighting the progress we've made in this area.

March 2025: Congratulations to Professor Pernice on the Leibniz Prize!

Prof. Dr Wolfram Pernice has received the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation (DFG) – the most important research award in Germany, which comes with prize money of 2.5 million euros. The experimental physicist’s research on neuromorphic photonic computing is pioneering, the DFG emphasizes. A total of ten awards were presented during a ceremony held in Berlin on 19 March 2025 attended by the Federal Minister of Education and Research, Cem Özdemir.

March 2025: JSAP 2025: Dr. Rongyang Xu Recognized for Excellence in Nanophotonics

On March 14, our postdoc Rongyang Xu attended the 72nd Spring Meeting of the Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP) at the Tokyo University of Science. During this event, Dr. Xu was recognized for his contributions to the study of higher-order modes in nanophotonics and was honoured with the Young Scientist Award by the JSAP. Neuromorphic Quantumphotonics is incredibly proud to see our member's hard work celebrated in such an impactful way! 

February 2025: CLUSTEC Meeting at Heidelberg University

Neuromorphic Quantumphotonics was proud to host the 4th General Assembly of the CLUSTEC project on 26-27 February 2025 at EINC, Heidelberg University. We welcomed esteemed partners from DTU, University of Southern Denmark, Sorbonne University, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Q.ANT, Palacký University Olomouc, and CSEM for two days of collaboration and innovation. During the two days of the meeting, participants not only presented their latest achievements, but also visited the laboratories of the Kirchhoff Institute, where members of our group demonstrated the equipment and conditions for testing manufactured chips. 

January 2025: Photonics West 2025 Recap

Our team had an incredible time at PhotonicsWest 2025 Conference in San Francisco, where we presented our latest advancements in photonic technologies and quantum computing alongside thousands of professionals from around the globe. The photo shows members of our group who demonstrated their latest achievements: Dr. Anna Ovvyan, Prof. Dr. Wolfram Pernice, Philipp Lohmann, Liam McRae, Rasmus Bankwitz, Mark Ulanov, Julius Römer, and Lennart Meyer.