To promote young optics and photonics enthusiasts and to further innovative research potentials – these are equally the goals of Photonics Days Jena as well as the Applied Photonics Award. Traditionally, the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF Young Scientist Award is presented during the international career and networking event. That's how it was this year, too: Dr Robert Kammel, head of the strategy, organization, communication department at Fraunhofer IOF, together with Prof Dr Michèle Heurs, gravitational wave researcher and this year's keynote speaker at Photonics Days Jena, presented the young researcher award to this year’s winners.

A jury of experts, consisting of representatives from science and industry, had previously selected the award-winning theses. A total of three theses were awarded in the categories Bachelor, Master/Diploma and Dissertation. In addition, the jury awarded two special prizes for scientific excellence this year: One special prize was each awarded for a thesis in the categories ‘graduate’ (BA/MA) and ‘post-graduate’ (dissertations). The winners of the 2022 awards are:

Best Bachelor Thesis (1.000 €)
Magdalena Hilbert (University of Jena) – “Gas Sensing with 2D Materials on Exposed-Core Fibers”

Best Master Thesis (2,000 €)
Felix Wechsler (University of Jena) – “Kaleidomicroscope – A Kaleidoscopic Multiview Microscope”

Best Dissertation (3,000 €) 
Dr René Kirrbach (Technische Universität Dresden): “Investigations on linear optical wireless frontends and application-specific freeform lenses for optical wireless communications”

Prize of the Jury for Scientific Excellence, Graduate (1,500 €) 
Jan-Wilke Henke (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen): “Demonstration of the interaction between free electrons and fiber-integrated photonic resonator

Prize of the Jury for Scientific Excellence, Post-Graduate (1,500 €) 
Dr Daniel Werdehausen (University of Jena): “Nanocomposites as Next-Generation Optical Materials: Fundamental Properties and Potential”

The Applied Photonics Award emerged from the Green Photonics Young Scientist Award – since 2018 with a new look and new content. It is awarded by the Fraunhofer IOF in Jena, Germany. The institute has been conducting application-oriented research in the fields of optics and photonics for over 25 years. This year’s award is again being presented with the kind support of the Association of German Engineers (VDI) and the companies Active Fiber Systems, Jenoptik and Trumpf.