“SPIE Photonics West 2022 will be a rewarding and welcoming event for the global photonics community to kick off the new year and re-engage in person,” says SPIE CEO Kent Rochford.
Touted the world’s largest annual optics and photonics conference and exhibition, the event this year—which will run January 22-27 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA—promises to be the most innovative, impactful, informative one yet.
BiOS
The Biomedical Optics Symposium (BiOS) expo and conference, slated for January 22nd and 23rd, kicks off the larger Photonics West event. With a focus specifically on technologies such as biomedical optics components, products, instrumentation, and applications; molecular imaging, therapeutic lasers; nano/biophotonics; biosensors; and spectroscopic/microscopic imaging, this is the largest biomedical optics and biophotonics exhibition in the world. Here, attendees can see and explore the latest research and studies, as well as technologies from suppliers of biomedical research systems and solutions.
Research topics to be presented include:
- Photonics in dermatology
- Enhanced thermal imaging
- Deep-imaging instrumentation and research
- Molecular imaging with near-infrared in microscopy
- Optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography
- Microscopy techniques for skin cancer detection
- Machine learning-based biomedical imaging
- Real-time intraoperative imaging
The annual BiOS Hot Topics program will take place on January 22nd. This event focuses on highly engaged, world-renowned speakers who reveal some of the latest innovations in their areas of expertise. BiOS Symposium Chair, Jennifer Barton from the University of Arizona, will lead this program. Scheduled to speak are Wei Min from Columbia University, who will present Color Revolution: Super-Multiplexed Optical Microscopy; Osamu Matoba, of Kobe University (Japan), speaking about holographic imaging and its bio applications; Dan Zhu from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China) will discuss tissue optical clearing imaging—from in vitro to in vivo; Irina Larina, of Baylor College of Medicine, will present “live biophotonic analysis of embryonic development;” Aydogan Ozcan from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) will present how deep learning enables optics; speaking to “cerebral health in a heartbeat” will be Maria Angela Franceschini from Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; and Lihong Wang, of the California Institute of Technology, will discuss functional photoacoustic tomography of the human brain.
January 22nd will also see the Healthcare Startups Panel, which is “an informative panel composed of members of the healthcare startup ecosystem” who will discuss trends in growth and funding.
A networking reception will be held on January 23rd, followed by the BiOS publications reception later in the day.
General conference
Once the BiOS weekend wraps up on January 23rd, attendees and companies will hit the Photonics West conference and expo floors.
Several plenary talks will be featured at the beginning of the week. At OPTO, which highlights all facets of optoelectronics, photonic materials, and devices, the January 24th plenary will feature presentations by Hiroshi Amano from Nagoya University (Japan), as well as Jelena Vuckovic from Stanford University, and Andrea Blanco-Redondo, of Nokia Bell Labs. Also on January 24th will be LASE — a subconference that focuses on industrial lasers, laser sources, and laser applications. A Nano/Biophotonics plenary (January 25th) will feature a discussion with Hongjie Dai of Stanford University.
This year, the exhibition includes more than 4000 technical presentations—among them are:
- Nonlinear optomechanics
- Quantum interferometry
- Optomechanical sensing
- Plasmonic-enhanced quantum sensing
- Precision spectroscopy
- Super-resolution imaging
- Second- and third-harmonic generation microscopy
- Wearable devices
- Photoluminescence
Also featured at Photonics West will be the AR | VR | MR conference. This focuses on augmented, virtual, and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR), as well as the vital role optics and photonics are playing in cross-reality (XR) hardware development. SPIE notes that this event “incorporates more than 40 invited industry talks, keynotes, and panels; a two-day exhibition; and, new in 2022, an XR-specific job fair.” Leading and upcoming consumer electronics companies, such as Sony, Schott, Microsoft, VividQ, Kura, and Lynx, will be there as well, in addition to courses, academic tracks, and a poster session.
Startup Challenge
Several Startup Challenge events promise to be exciting. According to SPIE, mergers and acquisitions are the primary drivers of exits among technology startups. A small community of experts exists, who track activity in the optics and photonics technical domain. “Through a series of presentations and discussion, they will map out trends in the mergers and acquisitions of photonics-enabled companies.”
These events will include the Healthcare Startups Panel. Information from SPIE notes that founders of healthcare startups have the potential to bring new life-changing technology to patients, but must navigate a complex landscape of prototyping, partnerships, funding, and regulation. This panel will include founders and investors in the healthcare realm, discussing best practices, trends in growth, and funding in the ecosystem.
M&A Activity in Photonics is another of the Startup Challenge events, featuring Linda Smith, president of Ceres Technology Advisors and a partner at GLAS Capital, a dedicated photonics investment fund.
Another focuses on photonics startups and fundraising. Specifically, this features companies raising funding in both the healthcare and deep tech spaces; they will pitch their ideas, with the intent of improving “deal flow from valuable, high-tech companies.” SPIE notes this is “ideal for all investors looking for opportunities to invest in companies with market traction using technologies like imaging, semiconductors, lasers, displays, telecommunications, AR/VR, and healthcare from around the world.”
Investing in Photonics will include a panel discussion that brings together active investors in the photonics space to discuss emerging trends, common problems, and how founders can build successful companies. Laura Smoliar, founding partner of the Berkeley Catalyst Fund, will be a panelist here, joined by moderator Ian Tracey, founder of Anchored In Ltd.
Exhibitors
Thousands of exhibitors spend the week showcasing their products and intriguing work, as well as connecting with potential buyers and others.
Those attending this year include:
- Advanced Photonics Sciences
- Agilent Technologies
- AIM Photonics
- DataRay
- European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC)
- Excelitas Technologies
- Hamamatsu
- Headwall Photonics
- Innovative Photonic Solutions
- IPG Photonics
- LaCroix Precision Optics
- Lambda Research Corp.
- Novanta
- Nuvu Cameras
- Ocean Insight
- Ophir (MKS Instruments)
- Reynard Corp.
- Rockley Photonics
- Santec
- Schott
- Stuttgart Instruments
- Spectra-Physics (MKS Instruments)
- Sydor Optics
- Thorlabs
- Zemax
- Vermont Photonics Technologies
- Xenics
- Zygo
“We are very excited to be hosting our in-person return to San Francisco, kicking off the calendar for the global photonics community’s year,” says Photonics West Event Manager Marilyn Gorsuch, who is senior director of technical programs for SPIE. “Each year, Photonics West, as the first global photonics event of the year, shapes the future for academic, industry, and government communities. Photonics West 2022 promises to be an illuminating, engaging, and thought-provoking week with many networking and socializing opportunities planned to complement the strong technical program. We can’t wait to welcome our community back face-to-face, and once again show the value of live, in-person events.”
Justine Murphy | Multimedia Director, Digital Infrastructure
Justine Murphy is the multimedia director for Endeavor Business Media's Digital Infrastructure Group. She is a multiple award-winning writer and editor with more 20 years of experience in newspaper publishing as well as public relations, marketing, and communications. For nearly 10 years, she has covered all facets of the optics and photonics industry as an editor, writer, web news anchor, and podcast host for an internationally reaching magazine publishing company. Her work has earned accolades from the New England Press Association as well as the SIIA/Jesse H. Neal Awards. She received a B.A. from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.