Workshop on Recent Trends in Optics and Photonics

Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India

VMCC, IIT Bombay, August 20, 2025

The workshop brought together researchers, faculty, and students from the Physics Department of IIT Bombay who are working in the broad areas of optics and photonics. With around 40 participants, it provided an excellent platform for exchanging ideas, sharing recent results, and exploring new directions for collaboration within the community. The program included oral presentations by invited speakers, highlighting state-of-the-art developments in ultrafast optics, lasers, nanophotonics, and related topics. Student participants showcased their work through poster presentations, which sparked lively discussions and constructive feedback. In addition to technical sessions, the workshop also created opportunities for informal interactions, helping participants connect across different research groups. The overall atmosphere was highly engaging and collaborative, encouraging both scientific exchange and community building in optics and photonics at IIT Bombay.

We gratefully acknowledge the Seed Funding for Collaboration and Partnerships Project (SCPP), under the Institute of Eminence (IoE) initiative, for their generous financial support.

Speakers

Invited: Prof. Daniel Leykam, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore.

Prof. Daniel Leykam is an Associate Professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). He received his PhB and PhD in Physics from the Australian National University, where his doctoral work earned the Bragg Gold Medal (2017). His research spans photonics, topology, and data science, with contributions including the discovery of robust topological edge solitons, experimental observation of Weyl points, and applications of machine learning to quantum physics. He has held research positions at Nanyang Technological University, the Institute for Basic Science (Korea), and National University of Singapore, and currently serves as an Associate Editor for the American Physical Society.

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Invited: Prof. Parinda Vasa, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India.

Prof. Parinda Vasa is a Professor in the Department of Physics at IIT Bombay. Her experimental research spans ultrafast phenomena, strong light–matter interactions in nanomaterials, and experimental nanophotonics. She is particularly interested in plasmonics, exciton–plasmon coupling, and the development of advanced spectroscopic techniques to probe nanostructured materials at ultrafast timescales. Her group investigates fundamental physical mechanisms underlying energy transfer, coherence, and nonlinear optical effects in nanosystems, with potential applications in quantum technologies, photonic devices, and next-generation optoelectronics. Beyond research, she actively mentors students and contributes to building experimental infrastructure that supports cutting-edge nanophotonics studies in India.

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Invited: Prof. Anshuman Kumar, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India.

Prof. Anshuman Kumar, Associate Professor at IIT Bombay, leads the Laboratory of Optics of Quantum Materials. His group develops quantum photonic circuits by integrating quantum materials with nanofabricated cavities to create single-photon sources and quantum frequency combs for high-dimensional qudits. They also investigate fundamental light–matter interactions, exploring concepts such as topology, Dirac and Weyl physics, and non-Hermitian effects to uncover novel photonic phenomena. Experimentally, the group utilizes advanced nanofabrication and in-house quantum optical characterization facilities, while on the theoretical side they employ density functional theory, electromagnetic theory, and AI-driven optimization tools. Their overarching aim is to connect fundamental physics with practical quantum technologies.

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Prof. Subhaskar Mandal, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India.

Prof. Subhaskar Mandal joined the Department of Physics at IIT Bombay as an Assistant Professor in January 2025. His research focuses on topological photonics, exciton–polaritons, and quantum and photonic materials, with an emphasis on uncovering new phases of light–matter interaction and their applications in next-generation photonic devices. By combining theoretical modeling with collaborative experimental efforts, his aim is to bridge fundamental physics with practical quantum and photonic technologies.

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Venue: Victor Menezes Convention Centre (VMCC) - IIT Bombay