News archive

10 December 2020
Southampton Turing Fellow signals need for AI design to benefit disabled people
Professor Mike Wald
Professor Mike Wald from the University of Southampton has highlighted the urgent need for artificial intelligence to be designed and deployed in a manner that doesn't increase societal inequalities.Speaking at a Couch Lesson of the international Goethe-Institut, the Turing Fellow insisted that proactive consideration is required for algorithmic systems to be designed in a manner that is fair, transparent and ethical.He warned that these considerations for AI and inclusion were...
09 December 2020
Making photonics a voice to be heard
Dr John Lincoln
Future government policy and spending decisions are certain to be influenced by the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on all sectors of the economy.The Photonics Leadership Group (PLG) is ensuring that a strong voice for the photonics industry is ready to be heard and inform future research, funding and strategy decisions.The Future Photonics Hub's Industrial Liaison Manager, Dr John Lincoln, who is also Chief Executive of the PLG, shares the results of their vision development for...
09 December 2020
Ensuring the internet is fit for the future
The coronavirus pandemic has seen an increased pressure on the internet as more people are socialising and working from home.Did you know that it was due to ground-breaking research at the University of Southampton's Optoelectronics Centre (ORC) that the fibre optic network that supports today's internet was made possible?Professor David Richardson, Co-Investigator of The Future Photonics Hub, talks about the ORC's heritage as a pioneering centre for optical fibre discovery, and describes how the research programme is continuing...
09 December 2020
Memristor pioneer honoured in Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists
Professor Themis Prodromakis
Professor Themis Prodromakis from the Zepler Institute for Photonics and Nanoelectronics has been selected as a finalist in the 2021 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK.The international honour recognises his contributions in devising new computer hardware to support the rapidly increasing computational demands of AI applications.Professor Prodromakis is Director of Southampton's Centre for Electronics Frontiers and holds a prestigious Royal Academy of...
02 December 2020
Exploring how photonics research can help tackle future public health and economic challenges
Photonics has an important role to play in tackling the future public health and economic challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemic.Professor Sir David Payne, Principal Investigator of The Future Photonics Hub and Director of the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC), shares his thoughts on what the future holds.He explores:* How the UK’s research agenda may change in the wake of COVID-19?* How might research funding areas change as a result?* How is the UK research community as a whole likely to adapt?* How can academia...
02 December 2020
How our photonics research is adapting to the 'new normal'
Day-to-day life has changed beyond recognition over the last few months and economies around the globe have been disrupted as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.Just what does this mean for our photonics research community and how are we moving into the 'new normal'.We asked three distinguished researchers and a final-year PhD student about the challenges and opportunities they have faced, and their perspectives on the UK research landscape, the future of international collaboration, returning safely to experimental research, and the...

The Zepler Institute is a community of researchers from the University of Southampton’s Optoelectronics Research Centre, Electronics and Electrical Engineering Group, Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology Group and Quantum Light and Matter Group