Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast

This episode features Dr. Patrick Heissler, CEO of SCRONA. He has a doctorate in physics from the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, and has conducted research at institutions including Los Alamos National Lab.

In this chat, we covered his current work and initiatives at SCRONA, his involvement in organizations like the Plug and Play Tech Center, and some lessons learned throughout his extensive career.

This episode features Barry Silverstein, a seasoned optics and photonics innovator (namely at Meta’s Reality Labs) who recently joined the University of Rochester as director of the school’s Center for eXtended Reality.

He talked with host Justine Murphy about the Center and its mission, and delved into the future of AR, VR, and AI.

Here is a great episode featuring Dr. Mario Paniccia, CEO and co-founder of silicon photonics startup ANELLO Photonics. He founded ANELLO with more than 20 years of experience under his belt at companies including Intel, where he started a silicon photonics program.

And for this work, and his many other contributions to the field of silicon photonics, Dr. Paniccia was inducted into the National Academy of Engineers in 2021.

This first episode of 2026 features Craig Bandes, president and CEO of next-generation nanomaterial developer/manufacturer Pixelligent Technologies. He has more than 25 years of experience as a CEO, entrepreneur, and investor covering industries including technology and defense.

As 2025 draws to a close, we're revisiting the year's interesting and intriguing interviews. Here are excerpts from the top 5 most popular Following the Photons episodes of 2025.

Thank you all for your continued support! Cheers to a happy and prosperous 2026!

Here's another edition of Light News! Join host Justine Murphy as she follows the photons into some of the coolest, most exciting news impacting the photonics industry.

Host Justine Murphy talked recently with Michele Nichols, president of Launch Team Inc., a strategic marketing firm that helps photonics-focused companies to navigate change and ultimately boost their competitive advantage.

In this episode, Michele shares her perspectives on the state of the industry and where it’s headed, as well as some thoughts and hopes for the future.

This episode features Dirk Hauschild, a Senior Strategic Marketing Expert with Focuslight Technologies.

He talks with host Justine Murphy about his more than 30 years of experience in the design, development, and integration of micro-optical components and systems, his work with Focuslight, and his thoughts on the future.

This week features another edition of Light News, a quick roundup of some of the coolest, most exciting news impacting the photonics industry. Let's go follow those photons!

Here, host Justine Murphy talks with Dr. Aydogan Ozcan, an extremely accomplished professor, lab leader, and mentor who has spent years studying and developing technologies in areas including computational imaging, deep learning optics, and microscopy.

This first of a two-part episode dives into some interesting aspects of his work and experiences in the photonics industry.

This episode features Sargis Hakobyan, an R&D team leader with SPhotonix. He joined the company earlier this year to lead its new photonics lab in Switzerland, where he is the Senior Laser Materials Processing Engineer.

Sargis is a multilingual laser physicist who has long focused in solid-state femtosecond and semiconductor laser development.

In this second installment of a two-part episode, Metalenz CEO Rob Devlin talks about what the future holds for the company and the industry overall, and offers some advice for others looking to take a similar path.

In this first of a two-part series, host Justine Murphy talks with Rob Devlin, co-founder and CEO of Metalenz. He has a PhD in applied physics from Harvard University, where he worked closely with Federico Capasso. The two ultimately founded Metalenz to commercialize their breakthrough research in metasurface optics.