The first "Photonics TALENT" International Summer School was held from July 8 to 12, 2024 at the Institut d'Optique d'Aquitaine in Bordeaux. It is part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Photonics TALENT project, which aims to attract R&D talent to the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Here's a look back at the first edition, which was a great success. 

Research at the service of the photonics industry

Last July, the Photonics TALENT Summer School brought together academics and industrial companies, offering European Master's and PhD students the opportunity to explore cutting-edge research in laser source development and applications.

The week was punctuated by 5 half-day conferences, led by experts from the Photonics field.

Each day had its own topic:

• Monday: Laser source development (IFSW, LP2N, TOPTICA, Amplitude, ALPhANOV)
• Tuesday: High-power laser (CEA, LP2N)
• Wednesday: Smart laser-based manufacturing and Industry 4.0 (ALPhANOV, Fraunhofer IWS, CELIA, h-nu)
• Thursday: Photonics for Quantum technologies and applications (NAQUIDIS, Exail, PASQAL)
• Friday: Attosecond: applications and challenges (Amplitude, King's College London, CELIA)

21 speakers were mobilized to give these lectures, including Alain ASPECT - Nobel Prize in Physics 2022 - who introduced the Tuesday session by presenting his research into quantum technologies.

Summer School highlights

Participants had the opportunity to visit companies in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine photonics ecosystem: the ALPhANOV technology center and 3 manufacturers - Amplitude, Exail and Toptica.

At the job fair, students met with industrials to discuss career opportunities and submit job applications. Present were AeroDIODE, Femto Easy, Safran Data Systems, CEA, Naquidis and project partners: ALPhANOV, ALPHA-RLH, Amplitude, Toptica and Exail.

Student researchers presented their research work during the poster session. The 6 board of examiners awarded 3 prizes to the most innovative work.

A promising first edition

The first edition proved to be a great success, attracting a large audience of 51 Masters and PhD students from 20 different countries. This success was due in particular to the quality of the speakers and the diversity of the topics covered.

Company visits and a job fair completed the program, offering an immersion in the industrial world and highlighting the many career opportunities in the sector. The networking evening, held in the heart of Bordeaux, rounded off the week's intensive activities, encouraging exchanges between scientific experts and European students.

This Summer School provided an enriching experience, laying the foundations for a key annual event for the photonics community.

" I want to thank you again for organizing this school! It was an amazing experience that I will remember for a long time. I am already looking forward to coming again, that time as a PhD student. " - Summer School participant

Following the success of this first edition, the Photonics TALENT team and the scientific committee are already working on the next edition, scheduled for summer 2025 - from July 7 to 11, 2025.

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The Nouvelle-Aquitaine Photonics TALENT project is led by ALPhANOV, bringing together members of the consortium comprising the ALPHA-RLH competitive cluster and photonics leaders such as Amplitude Laser, TOPTICA Photonics and Exail.

The aim of the project is to highlight and raise public awareness of the photonics industry, a fast-growing sector offering a wide range of career opportunites.