Applied Photonics

Scientific organizer:
Prof. Dr. Walter Neu (University of Applied Sciences Emden/Leer, Germany)

September 20 - September 25, 2026, Physikzentrum Bad Honnef, Germany
supported by

 

 

 

The school “Applied Photonics” covers fundamentals in photonics as well as advancing research topics and applications of a key technology that is seen as one of the most important building blocks in future technological innovation. Photonic systems are ubiquitous in modern life, like e.g. in metrology, biomedical applications, space and earth exploration, production technologies, information processing and imaging. Topics include physics and engineering basics, a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art techniques including nanooptics, space sciences, laser systems in industrial applications and quantum systems, biophotonics, spectroscopy and optical metrology.
Each day of the school is dedicated to a main topic addressed by leading researchers, engineers, and practitioners from renowned companies as well as large scale research facilities. The speakers provide insights into the industry and research landscape, career paths, and upcoming technologies.
The target audience is advanced Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral students but the school is also open to individuals at a more advanced stage of their careers. The participants are expected to have at least a basic knowledge of one of the addressed fields in photonics and are ideally active in a related research field. Poster sessions throughout the school offer opportunities for presenting and discussing the young scientist’s research. A student’s lecture
will be an integrate part of the poster awarding session. The lectures and workshop as well as active participation phases provide an ideal forum for advanced Bachelor, Master, and PhD students to deepen their knowledge and foster interdisciplinary aspects. Up to 80 students from all over the world are expected.

Topics and speakers:

• Animal Navigation from molecules and biophysics to behaviour and cognition
  Prof. Dr. Henrik Mouritsen, Head of Neurosensorics/Animal Navigation group, Institute for Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany
• Photonics in ophtalmology
  Prof. Dr. Christoph Russmann, Dean Health Campus HAWK und UMG Göttingen, University of Applied Sciences and Arts HAWK Göttingen, Germany
• Imaging/Raman in Biophotonics
  Prof. Dr. Jürgen Popp, Scientific Director Leibniz Institute for Photonic Technologies e.V. Jena, Institute of Physical Chemistry (IPC) Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
• Space Life Sciences
  PD Dr. med. vet. habil. Christine Hellweg, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine Radiation Biology, and Helmholtz Research School 'SpaceLife', Germany
• Microfuidics and diagnostics
  Dr. Nadine Nottrodt, Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, Aachen, Germany
• Ultrafast nano-optics
  Prof. Dr. Martin Silies, HS Emden/Leer - University of Applied Sciences, Institute for Laser and Optics (ILO), Optoelectronics, Germany
• Nonlinear microscopy and structured light fields
  Professor Dr. Cornelia Denz, President of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), the national metrology institute of Germany, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, University of Muenster, Germany
• Beyond diffraction
  Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Stefan Hell, Nobel laureate 2014 in Chemistry, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences and at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Germany
• Clusters and Laser Spectroscopy
  Prof. Dr. Peter Lievens, Head of CLASS – Clusters and Laser Spectroscopy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vice Rector for International Policy at the KU Leuven, Belgium
• Hyperloop – Mobility below the speed of light
  Prof. Dr. Walter Neu, HS Emden/Leer - University of Applied Sciences, Director of the Institute for Laser and Optics (ILO), Germany
• Airborne atmospheric Research
  Dr. Dirk Richter, CEO Quanta3, Longmont, Colorado, USA
• Smart farming
  PD Dr. Merve Wollweber, Head of Food and Farming Group, Industrial and Biomedical Optics Department, Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH), Germany
• Advanced Quantum Communications
  Dr. Carlos Antón-Solanas, Head of Quantum Optics in the Solid-State (QOSS) Group, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
• The physics of high-intensity, ultrashort optical pulses
  Prof. Dr. Donna Strickland, Nobel laureate 2018 in Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ultrafast Laser Group, University of Waterloo, ON, Canada
• Ultrafast Spectroscopy in Solid Matter
  Prof. Dr. Martin Beye, Stockholm University, Department of Physics, Head of X-Ray Spectroscopy, Sweden
• The physics of atoms at attosecond scale
  N.N.
• Optics production Technology
  Dr. Peter Kürz, ZEISS SMT, Head of Field of Business High-NA-EUV, Oberkochen, Germany
• Sensing and positioning
  Dr. Sebastian Rode, CEO SmarAct Metrology GmbH & Co. KG, Oldenburg, Germany

More information coming soon...

Online registration will be activated here in February 2026.

FEES: 200 € full board and lodging (for DPG* members 100 € )
* The German Physical Society (DPG)

Attention: There are some fake companies, which pretend to organize your stay in Bad Honnef. Please, be careful and do not reply to them. Your accommodation and full board will be provided exclusively by the Physikzentrum.