Who are we?
The Photonics Society Endhoven (PhE) is a student community officially recognized as an Optica (formerly OSA) student chapter in March 2020. We are a group of enthusiastic and determined Ph.D. students committed to the dissemination of optics and photonics (O&P) in the city of Eindhoven. Our main goal is to promote enrollment in O&P by creating opportunities for students to perform high-level scientific research in technical areas within O&P.
As a student chapter, we benefit from the support of the Optica (formerly OSA) which is a non-profit organization. The Optica was founded in 1916 in the US and has evolved into one of the leading organizations focused on optics and photonics. The main goal of the Optica is to foster and promote the technical and professional development of more than 23,000 members. The Optica also supports the network of more than 370 student chapters worldwide. These local chapters are managed by and organized for students and create valuable opportunities for the professional development of its peers. Ph.D. students are the target group, but also master students and young researchers are also welcome. Besides this, Optica Student Chapters receive many benefits including activity and travel grants, guest lecture resources, networking opportunities, and much more!
There wouldn’t be a more suitable place for an optics and photonics chapter than Eindhoven: the Dutch city of light. Most people think that the name is related to the invention of the light bulb by Philips in 1891, but it is actually because of the “Lucifer” industry. The first factory of the Netherlands producing the matches opened already in 1870 in Eindhoven. Nowadays, the name is still honored in the annual light festival Glow.
The Eindhoven University of technology is based in one of the most powerful technology hubs in the world: Brainport Eindhoven. The collaboration with the advanced industries helps us to find the solutions for the complex problems of today and tomorrow. Within the departments of Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering, there are several research groups that focus on the science and technology of optics and photonics for applications ranging from optical communications to sensing and energy conversion. Those research groups are connected via the Institute for Photonic Integration (IPI), whose mission is to develop scientific knowledge and technology that can help the industry get new photonic products to market.
