TOP Conference 2025 will once again include posters from academics across the industry, showcasing collaboration portfolios.
Find out more about this year’s poster presenters and visit our Poster Previews page to find out more.
Poster Presenters
Akanksha Ahuja
Akanksha Ahuja, an EPSRC-ICASE PhD student and Anita Borg Scholar(Google Women in Computer Science) at the University of Cambridge excels in machine learning, focusing on geometric and graph modelling techniques applicable across various scientific fields. Collaborating with the Department of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and British Telecommunications, her research aims to automate optical network design and enhance data transmission across the UK's national fibre infrastructure, making it more resilient, efficient and cost-effective. With an MSc in Computer Science from Oxford, Akanksha improved the particle collision detection efficiency of the Future Circular Collider (FCC) in collaboration with the Department of Physics using graph neural networks. Working as a Project Associate for the CMS experiment at CERN, she boosted computational and storage efficiency, impacting a global network (Worldwide LHC Grid) spanning 60 countries and 120 centres. While in the AWAKE group, her software development skills significantly improved magnet control and allowed faster error detection. Akanksha's work, spanning India, Switzerland, France, Bulgaria, Greece, and the UK, exemplifies her global impact and interdisciplinary expertise.
Romulo Aparecido
Romulo Aparecido is a PhD candidate and part-time research assistant in the Optical Networks Group at University College London (UCL). His research focuses on ultrawideband optical transmission, with an emphasis on the O-band. During his master’s studies, he successfully developed and applied machine learning techniques to optimise the design of photonic devices. Currently, his work centres on advancing optical communication systems to push throughput beyond the state of the art.
Hasan Awad
Hasan Awad is a Telecommunications Engineer and physicist, He hold dual master’s degrees in Engineering and Quantum Physics & Photonics from France and Lebanon. His professional journey includes a significant tenure at Polytechnique de Paris, France, where he engaged in cutting-edge research and development. This experience contributed to his five years of industrial experience in optical fiber networks. Hasan is currently pursuing his PhD within the Optical Communications (OptCom) Research Group, at Politecnico di Torino, Italy’s first and oldest engineering school, with a robust legacy dating back to 1859. Hasan is focusing on the early detection of earthquakes by leveraging polarization alterations along existing traffic-carrying optical fibers analyzed by Artificial Intelligent Models. His PhD research employs terrestrial Optical Fiber Networks in an innovative and novel smart grid sensing approach.
Mariia Bastamova
Mariia is a PhD student at the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies, specializing in fiber optical parametric amplification for optical communications. Her research focuses on optimizing novel optical parametric amplifiers to achieve high gain, wide bandwidth, and low noise in optical communication systems. Mariia was awarded the Corning Women in Optical Communications Scholarship in 2024 for her work in optical communications and networking.
Michael Doherty
Michael Doherty is a PhD student in the Optical Networks Group (ONG) at University College London, supervised by Alejandra Beghelli. His research interests relate to the application of reinforcement learning (RL) for resource allocation problems in optical networks. His work to date has focused on techniques to improve the scalability of RL for these problems, through improved training techniques and software tools. He is the lead developer of the open source project XLRON (https://github.com/micdoh/XLRON), which enables GPU-based simulation of dynamic Routing, Modulation, and Spectrum Assignment (RMSA) on optical networks for orders of magnitude faster training of RL models. His work has been featured in OFC, ECOC, and ONDM conferences. Prior to his doctoral studies, Michael completed a MSci in Physics at Imperial College London and worked as a software engineer.
Vladimir Gordienko
Dr Vladimir Gordienko is a Senior Research Fellow at Aston University, Birmingham, UK, specialising in advanced nonlinear fibre optic devices for optical communications. Dr Gordienko is the principal investigator of the 5-year EPSRC Open Fellowship project “Interferometric and Multiband optical Parametric Amplifiers for Communications (IMPAC)”. With over 50 publications and two patents, his work has introduced significant breakthroughs in fibre optical parametric amplification. He also serves as a member of the subcommittee “Fiber Devices, Fiber Lasers and Amplifiers, and Nonlinear Waveguides” for the optical fibre communication conference (OFC).
Anuj Gore
Hi! I'm Anuj. I am a researcher at University College London (UCL) with a strong interest in quantum physics and mathematics. My work focuses on the intersection of computational techniques and quantum information science, particularly in optimizing multipartite quantum networks. Through my research, I try and explore strategies for minimizing latency in quantum communication, leveraging advanced computational methods to enhance the efficiency and scalability of quantum networks.
Emilio Hugues Salas
Emilio Hugues Salas is an Optical and Quantum Networks Research Specialist at BT, contributing to the I-UK Quantum Data Centre of the Future (QDCF) project and other quantum network design initiatives. Previously, he served as a researcher and Co-Investigator on several European and UK-funded projects. He has co-authored publications on optical and quantum networks and is an Associate Editor for the IEEE/OSA Journal of Lightwave Technology. Emilio is also a Senior Member of OPTICA.
Tianyuan Kong
Tianyuan Kong received his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Siegen, Germany, in 2020, and his master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology from the Technical University of Munich, Germany, in 2023. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Optoelectronics and Information Engineering at Kiel University, Germany. His research focuses on short-reach data center DSP and FEC.
Krishna Kumar
Krishna S. Kumar, Technology Director at Avirata Defence Systems Ltd, with over 25 years of experience in the development of photonic products for telecom, medical, and defence markets. He has a successful track record of R&D leadership and excels in promoting a culture of innovation with a global objective. Prior to Avirata, he co-founded and led innovative photonic product development companies. Krishna Kumar holds an MSc in Physics from the Univ. of Hyderabad, an MSEE from Oregon Health and Sciences University and Technology Management program from Georgia Tech.
Shabnam Noor
Shabnam Noor received the B.Sc. degree in electronics and communication engineering from BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2011, and the M.Eng. degree in telecommunications from American International University Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2013. She also received her Ph.D. in 2019 from School of Engineering, University of Kent, Canterbury, U.K., before working there as a research associate. She is currently a research associate at Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies, Aston University, Birmingham, U.K. Her research interests include Ultra-Wideband (UWB) systems and amplification technologies, high power amplifiers, deep space communications, signal processing for communications and 5G (and beyond) mobile fronthaul.
Guy Nurse
Guy is the UK based contact for Diamond SA, the inventor of the world-famous E-2000® connector. Diamond have a well established history in the development, manufacture and assembly of high precision fibre optic interconnects. Their patented Active Core Alignment process produces very low insertion loss, well suited to demanding applications such as quantum technologies and telecommunications. With nearly 30 years experience of the UK optics and photonics market, Guy has worked for several UK based manufacturing and distribution organisations. He obtained his B.Sc in Physics from the University of Manchester and has published papers from a period of research at Hull University.
Jazz Ee Ze Ooi
Jazz Ee Ze Ooi, from Malaysia, completed his BSc in Mathematics with Mathematical Physics at UCL, and is undertaking an MSc in Mathematical Sciences (OMMS) at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on quantum technology; currently, the allocation of quantum repeaters in quantum networks.
Dini Pratiwi
Dini Pratiwi is a PhD student at Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies (AiPT), Aston University. Her research focused on All-Raman amplification for ultrawideband optical network. She received her bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering in Indonesia. She was granted an EMJMD scholarship to pursue master's degree in Photonic Integrated Circuits, Sensors and Networks (PIXNET) at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna Italy, Osaka University, and Aston University in 2019-2021.
Evan Sutcliffe
Evan Sutcliffe is a PhD researcher in the Optical Networks Group at University College London (UCL), exploring quantum information theory and quantum communication. Their research focuses on optimizing routing strategies for entanglement distribution protocols and utilising quantum error correction techniques over quantum networks
Chee Hing Tan
Prof. C. H. Tan obtained his BEng and PhD in Electronic Engineering at the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE), The University Of Sheffield (TUOS) in 1998 and 2002, respectively. He was a Research Associate in 2001-03, appointed as a Lecturer in 2003 and has been a Professor in Optoelectronic Sensors since Jan 2014. He has taken a number of leadership roles within TUOS, including the Director of Research for EEE, the Deputy Director of Research&Innovations for the Faculty of Engineering and the Head of Department for EEE (2019-2024). His research includes advanced modelling of avalanche process, high quantum efficiency single photon avalanche diodes, APDs with lowest excess noise and APDs with very weak temperature dependence of breakdown voltage. He has led various research projects from the Innovate UK, Engineering, and Physical Science Research Council and EU. Some of the technologies he developed have been transferred to industry via several knowledge transfer projects to design infrared photodiodes and avalanche photodiodes. He has published more than 100 journal papers and has delivered several invited talks in international conferences. He has carried out editorial roles for Optics Express, IET Optoelectronics and MRS Advances. In 2020 he co-founded a spin-out, Phlux Technology Limited, to commercialise a key breakthrough in low noise avalanche photodiodes. He was a Director of Phlux Technology Limited until 2022.
Victor Virag
I’m Victor Virag, with a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Surrey and an MSc in Quantum Technologies from UCL. My research focuses on the intersection of quantum computing and optical networking, with an emphasis on simulations and software development. For my MSc project, I worked on optimizing routing and wavelength allocation in optical networks using QUBO formulations and quantum annealing. Currently, I’m researching entangled bit fidelity in optical switches and distributed quantum computing systems.