Photonics West Best Paper Awards

Honoring outstanding achievement by our researchers

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Application track best paper award winners


SPIE Applications of 3D Printing Award Winners

The SPIE Applications of 3D Printing Best Paper Award recognizes outstanding contributions in the merging of tools and techniques used in 3D printing, fabrication, and manufacturing. One winner is selected from each symposium.

For BiOS, the 2023 award winner is:

For LASE, the 2023 award winner is:

For OPTO, the 2023 award winner is:


SPIE Translational Research Award Winners

The SPIE Translational Research Award recognizes outcomes-based studies that can change the lives of patients. 

For BiOS, the 2023 award winners are:

Award Sponsor:

The Wellman Center for Photomedicine


SPIE Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Award Winners

The SPIE Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Award recognizes outstanding contributions that showcase the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning to create and implement intelligent systems across multiple sectors, technologies, and applications.

For LASE, the 2023 award winner is:

For OPTO, the 2023 award winner is:


SPIE Net Zero Award Winner

The SPIE Applications of Net Zero Best Paper Award recognizes outstanding contributions that showcase the use of optics and photonics to achieve net zero energy consumption, waste, and/or carbon emissions.

For OPTO, the 2023 award winner is:

BiOS best paper award winners


BSC Best Paper Awards – Advanced Photonics in Urology

Presentations and manuscripts are judged based on scientific merit and potential clinical impact and winners need to be either a full-time student or resident in urology.

The 2023 BSC best student paper award winners are:

Award Sponsor:

Boston Scientific Corp. Logo


Bee K. Leong Drug Visualization Best Paper Award – Visualizing and Quantifying Drug Distribution in Tissue

Papers are judged based on clarity of presentation, scientific merit, and potential clinical impact.

The 2023 Bee K. Leong Drug Visualization best paper award winner is:


Pascal Rol Award 2023 – Ophthalmic Technologies

Outstanding extended abstracts submitted to the Ophthalmic Technologies conference are nominated for the Pascal Rol Award for Best Paper in Ophthalmic Technologies. The award and prize is presented after the last scientific session of the conference to recognize the best paper and presentation.

The 2023 Pascal Rol Best Paper in Ophthalmic Technologies award winner is:

See www.pascalrolfoundation.org


Best Student Paper Award – Multiscale Imaging and Spectroscopy

A cash prize is awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize best student papers. Presentations and manuscripts are judged based on scientific merit, impact, and clarity.

The 2023 award winners will be announced soon.

Award Sponsor:

Photonics Center Logo


Best Student Paper Awards – Optical Biopsy

Best Oral Paper Awards
The winners receive a $500 award along with an award certificate for best paper and oral presentations. The 2023 best oral paper award winners are:

Best Poster Award
One award winner receive a $500 award along with an award certificate for best poster presentation. The 2023 best poster award winner is:

Award Sponsors:

Corning Logo     Hamamatsu Logo     MKS Spectra-Physics Logo     ThorLabs Logo


Best Paper Awards – Microfluidics, BioMEMS, and Medical Microsystems

Presentations and manuscripts are judged based on scientific merit, impact, and clarity.

The 2023 best student paper and presentation award winner is:


Best Student Paper Award – Biophotonics in Exercise Science, Sports Medicine, Health Monitoring Technologies, and Wearables

Presentations and manuscripts are judged based on scientific merit, novelty and impact.

The 2023 1st place award winner is:

The 2023 2nd place award winner is:

The 2023 3rd place award winner is:

Award sponsor:

Hamamatsu Logo


Best Oral and Poster Presentation Awards – Optical Interactions with Tissue and Cells

Presentations are judged based on scientific merit, novelty, and impact.

The 2023 1st place best oral paper award winner is:

The 2023 2nd place best oral paper award winner is:

The 2023 3rd place best oral paper award winners are:

The 2023 best poster paper award winner is:


Best Paper Awards – Photons Plus Ultrasound: Imaging and Sensing

Seno Medical Instruments of San Antonio, Texas and TomoWave Laboratories, Inc. will sponsor "Best Paper Awards" at this conference ($500 each). Award winners will also receive a certificate of recognition.

The 2023 Seno Medical Instruments best paper award winners are:

The 2023 TomoWave Laboratories best paper award winner is:

Award sponsors:

Seno Medical Logo Tomo Wave Labs


Best Student Paper Awards – Polarized Light and Optical Angular Momentum for Biomedical Diagnostics

The 2023 best student paper award winners are:


JenLab Young Investigator Award – Multiphoton Microscopy in the Biomedical Sciences

We encourage graduate students, postdocs, and scientists or junior faculty who are not more than 32 years old to apply for the JenLab Young Investigator Award.

The 2023 Jen Lab Young Investigator Award winner is:

The 2023 Jen Lab Young Investigator Award runner up is:

Award sponsor:

JenLab logo


Student Poster Session Competition – Multiphoton Microscopy in the Biomedical Sciences

Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are welcome to participate in the poster session competition of the conference on Multiphoton Microscopy in the Biomedical Sciences. There is a cash award ($500/award) for the winner(s).

The 2023 best student poster award winners are:


PicoQuant Young Investigator Award – Single Molecule Spectroscopy and Superresolution Imaging

Young scientists (age 30 or below and not yet full faculty members) are encouraged to participate in this best paper competition, which offers a $750 USD cash award.

The 2023 PicoQuant Young Investigator award winners are:

Award sponsor:

PictoQuant logo


Prizmatix Young Investigator Awards – Nanoscale Imaging, Sensing, and Actuation for Biomedical Applications

Three $500 USD "Young Investigator Awards" sponsored by Prizmatix Ltd. are awarded for notable contributions by young scientists presenting their work in this conference.

The 2023 Prizmatix Young Investigator award winners are:

Award sponsor:

Prizmatix Logo


Ocean Insight Young Investigator Award – Colloidal Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications

The Ocean Insight Young Investigator Awards are given for the best contributed oral papers presented by a leading author who is either a graduate student or has graduated within less than five years of the paper submission date. Two prizes will be awarded. The First Prize will consist of a $1,000 cash prize for the Young Investigator and $2,000 Ocean Insight equipment credit for the laboratory where the work was performed. The Second Prize will consist of a $500 cash prize for the Young Investigator and $1,000 Ocean Insight equipment credit for the laboratory where the work was performed.

The 2023 first prize winner of the Ocean Insight Young Investigator Award is:

The 2023 second prize winner of the Ocean Insight Young Investigator Award is:

Award sponsor:

Ocean Insight logo

LASE best paper award winners


Fiber Lasers Best Student Oral Paper Competition – Fiber Lasers: Technology and Systems

The committee is pleased to announce that cash prizes for 1st Place ($1000), 2nd Place ($500), and 3rd Place ($300), donated by NKT Photonics A/S and Active Fiber Systems GmbH, are awarded for the best student presentation, judged by the committee on the basis of scientific content, impact, and clarity.

The 2023 1st place award winner is:

The 2023 2nd place winner is:

The 2023 3rd place winner is:

Award Sponsors:
NKT Photonics Logo Active Fiber Systems logo


VECSELs Best Student Presentation Award – Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VECSELs)

The committee is pleased to announce that a cash prize of $500, donated by Coherent Inc., is awarded for the best student presentation, judged by the committee on the basis of scientific content, impact, and clarity.

The 2023 best student presentation award winner is:

Award sponsor:

Coherent


LAMOM Best Student Paper Competition (Oral and Poster) – Laser Applications in Microelectronic and Optoelectronic Manufacturing (LAMOM)

The committee is pleased to announce that cash prizes of $500 each, donated by Okamoto Optics, Inc. and Plymouth Grating Laboratory, are awarded for the best student oral presentation and best student poster presentation, judged by the committee on the basis of scientific content, impact, and clarity.

The 2023 best student presentation award winner is:

The 2023 best student poster award winner is:

Award sponsors:
Okamoto Optics logo Plymouth Grating Laboratory logo


Frontiers in Ultrafast Optics Best Student Paper Competition – Frontiers in Ultrafast Optics: Biomedical, Scientific, and Industrial Applications

The committee is pleased to announce that cash prizes for 1st Place ($1000), 2nd Place ($500), 3rd Place ($200), and Runner-Ups ($100), donated by Amplitude and TRUMPF Inc., are awarded for the best student presentation, judged by the committee on the basis of scientific content, impact, and clarity.

For 2023, two papers tied for the Best Student Presentation Award, splitting the 1st and 2nd place cash prize:

The 2023 3rd place winner is:

Award sponsors:

Amplitude logoTrumpf logo

OPTO best paper award winners


Best Student Paper Awards – Ultrafast Phenomena and Nanophotonics

All contributed papers in the conference on Ultrafast Phenomena and Nanophotonics given by a young scientist (PhD student or postdoc within the first two years after graduation) are eligible for the award. Note that this award is for contributed papers only.

The 2023 best student paper award winner is:

Award sponsor:

Class 5 Photonics logo


Best Paper Awards - Advanced Fabrication Technologies for Micro/Nano Optics and Photonics

We are pleased to announce that cash prizes, sponsored by Opti-Cal GmbH, e-skin Displays Inc., and Nanoscribe, are awarded to the best paper and best student paper in the conference on Advanced Fabrication Technologies for Micro/Nano Optics and Photonics.

The 2023 best paper award winner is:

The 2023 best student paper award winner is:

Award sponsors:

Opti-Cal logo    e-skin Displays logo     Nanoscribe logo


Best Paper Awards - MOEMS and Miniaturized Systems

We are pleased to announce that cash prizes, sponsored by Mirrorcle Technologies, Inc., are awarded to the best paper and best student paper in the conference on MOEMS and Miniaturized Systems.

The 2023 best paper award winner is:

The 2023 best student paper award winner is:

Award sponsor:

Mirrorcle Technologies logo


Best Paper Awards - Emerging Digital Micromirror Device Based Systems and Applications

We are pleased to announce that cash prizes, sponsored by Texas Instruments DLP Products and ViALUX GmbH, are awarded to the best paper and best student paper in the conference on Emerging Digital Micromirror Device Based Systems and Applications.

The 2023 best paper award winner is:

The 2023 best student paper award winner is:

Award sponsors:

Texas Instruments DLP Products    ViALUX logo