Please note, not all presentations will be available due to speaker permissions. If you are a speaker and have slides you would like to share, please email info@topconference.com with a pdf of your presentation.

Available slides can be accessed by clicking on the title link of the presentation.

Tuesday 24th February 2026

TimeTitleSpeaker
08:3010:00Registration, refreshments, breakfast and networking
10:0010:15Welcome from Conference ChairWladek Forysiak (University of Bristol)
10:1511:00Keynote: Networking in the Age of AIAshkan Seyedi (NVIDIA)
11:0011:30Coffee break, Exhibition and Posters
11:3013:00Panel session: Photonics for AIModerator: James Regan (Oriole Networks)
Panelists:
– Professor George Zervas (UCL and Oriole Networks)
– Dr Xianxin Guo (Lumai)
– Dave Grimm (Albion)
– Matt Sysak (Lumentum)
13:0013:10Photonic Wire Bonds and Facet-Attached Micro-Lenses: Enabling Scalable Integration of Lasers and PICsAbdeslem Ben Hamida, Vanguard Automation
13:1014:00Lunch, Exhibition time and Posters
Stream 1: Telecommunications Ashes Suite – chaired by Mingming Tan (Aston University)Stream 2: Data Centres Pakistan Room – chaired by Stylianos Sygletos (Aston University)
TimeTitleSpeakerTimeTitleSpeakers
14:0014:30Hollow-Core Fiber Transmission: Metro Trials and 11,000-km Loop Results (additional file)Abdallah Ali (Microsoft)14:0014:30Novel Optical Transceivers for DCI relying on Analogue Optical Signal ProcessingIoannis Tomkos (University of Patras)
14:3015:00100W C-band amplifiers for Tbit/s satellite linksJames Edmunds (Gooch and Housego)14:3015:003D-Printed PhotonicsDan Marom (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
15:0015:30Intelligent Signal Processing and Detection in Optical Communication and Integrated Optical Communication and Sensing SystemsTianhua Xu (University of Warwick)15:0015:30Optical Signal Processing for Data Center InterconnectsSarah Massad (Ghent University and imec)
15:3016:00Exhibition, Coffee and Posters
Stream 3: Photonic Components Ashes Suite –chaired by Andy Sellars (Cornerstone)Stream 4: Free Space Optics Pakistan Room-chaired by Donald Govan (Mbryonics)
16:0016:30Power efficient optical technologies for data centersMatt Sysak (Lumentum)16:0016:30Programmable Optical Surfaces for 6G: Resilience, Security, and Integrated SensingHanaa Abumarshoud (University of Glasgow)
16:3017:00Multi-wavelength amplification with SOA’s for energy efficient data center interconnectsLiam Barry (Dublin City University)16:3017:00Roll out of Satellite Optical NetworksKasia Balakier (European Space Agency)
17:0017:15Passive Optical Networks Towards 200Gb/s for the Future Intelligent Access NetworkGiuseppe Talli (Huawei)17:0017:30STARNET: an end-to-end coherent optical satellite network communication challenges and opportunitiesDonald Govan (Mbryonics)
17:1517:30Development of Photonic Crystal Devices with COMSOL Multiphysics®Charlie Johnson (COMSOL)
17:3018:30Drinks reception and Poster Session

Wednesday 25th February 2026

TimeTitleSpeaker
08:30Registration, refreshments and breakfast
09:0009:45From Lab to Live Networks: Supercharging UK Telecoms R&I with JOINERDimitra Simeonidou (University of Bristol)
09:4510:30The Networked Quantum Data Machine: Scaling Secure Services through Photonic MBQCElham Kashefi (NQCC/University of Edinburgh/CNRS)
10:3010:45Coffee break, Exhibition time and Posters
10:4511:30Keynote: Redefining Future Coherent Transceivers via Subsystem, Device, and DSP InnovationsXi (Vivian) Chen, Nokia Bell Labs
11:3012:45Panel session: AI for PhotonicsChair: Alejandra Beghelli, BT
Panelists:
– Jorg Peter Elbers, VP Advanced Technology, Standards and IPR, Adtran
– Nigel Davis, Systems Design Architect, Ciena
– Annalisa Morea, Senior Consulting Engineer, Nokia
– Lareb Zar Khan, Meta
– Michael Doherty, PhD student, University College London
12:4512:50Poster Award Winner Announcement
12:5013:30Lunch, Exhibition time and Posters
Stream 5: Photonic Components Ashes Suite –chaired by Andy Sellars (Cornerstone)Stream 6: Intelligent Optical Networks Pakistan Room –chaired by Shuangyi Yan (University of Bristol)
TimeTitleSpeakerTimeTitleSpeakers
13:3014:00Integrated Photonics for Future SystemsProf Mike Wale (University College London)13:3014:00Optical Testbed DataSpace: A New Role for Optical Network Testbeds in the Era of Network AI/MLYuki Yoshida (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) of Japan)
14:0014:30All-Optical Switches for AI Data Centres: Advancing Integration and PerformanceDr Ning Zhang (CSA Catapult)14:0014:30Carrier-grade AI/ML for optical network automation: from models to deployment requirementsCarlos Natalino (Chalmers University of Technology)
14:3015:00Silicon Nitride Photonics for High‑Performance Visible and NIR Integrated CircuitsDr Thalia Dominguez Bucio (Optoelectronics Research Centre)14:3015:00Next Generation RAN enabled by Photonic TechnologiesTongyun Li (University of Cambridge)
15:0015:30Exhibition, Coffee and Posters
Stream 7: Data Centres, FSO and Quantum Communications Ashes Suite –chaired by Qiushuo Sun (BT)Stream 8: Quantum Communications Pakistan Room chaired by Simone Eizagirre Barker (Nu Quantum)
15:3016:00Fast Reconfigurable Optical Circuit Switches for Scale-Out and Scale-Up AI NetworkingAna Gonzalez (iPronics Programmable Photonics)15:3016:00The long and potholed road to a UK quantum networkAlessandro Fedrizzi (Heriot-Watt University)
16:0016:30How Optical Wireless Fills GNSS and radio positioning GapsIman Tavakkolnia (University of Cambridge)16:0016:30Resources and applications for advanced quantum networkingEleni Diamanti (Welinq)
16:3016:45Chip-based quantum key distribution for large scale deploymentRobert Starkwood (KETS Quantum Security)
16:4517:00A UK Entangled Photon Source to Deliver the Quantum InternetMichele Natrella (Lumino Technologies)16:3017:00Distributed Quantum Computing across a Trapped-Ion Quantum NetworkDougal Main (University of Oxford)
Close