Please note, preferably register only one person per company for best possible networking.
Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) are at the heart of the next wave of innovation across multiple industries — including telecommunications, sensing, quantum technologies, and biomedical devices. As the demand for compact, energy-efficient, and scalable photonic solutions grows, so does the need for advanced packaging technologies and streamlined manufacturing processes that can support volume production.
This EPIC Technology Meeting, hosted at PHIX, will bring together key players from across the entire PIC ecosystem — foundries, design and simulation experts, equipment manufacturers, packaging specialists, and end-users. Together, we will explore the latest developments in integrated photonics, discuss the pressing challenges in scalable manufacturing and packaging, and identify opportunities for collaboration across the value chain.
With a strong focus on practical implementation and market-driven innovation, this event will feature presentations, discussions, and networking opportunities designed to foster meaningful connections and accelerate the industrial adoption of PIC technologies. By uniting a diverse and experienced group of stakeholders, the meeting will contribute to shaping the future of integrated photonics and reinforcing Europe’s leadership in this critical technology field.
Albert Hasper (CEO) is an operational and technical executive with 25+ years of experience in international high-tech business-to-business industry. He was for 7 years the Managing Director of the Amtech Solar Companies. In 2011, he was appointed General Manager of Tempress Systems B.V. Before that, he was the VP of Global Operations at ASM International. Prior to the VP role, he served for more than 5 years as General Manager of ASM Europe and was world-wide responsible for the Vertical Furnace product line. Albert holds an M.Sc. and Ph.D. Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Twente. He has authored and co-authored over 25 scientific papers in various scientific journals. He is an inventor of 13 issued US patents in the areas of CVD & ALD deposition and Capital Equipment.
Jeroen Duis (Chief Technology Officer) received his bachelor’s degree from the Technical University of Rijswijk in 2001. After his study he worked 16 years within TE Connectivity. Within the Fiber Optic Business Unit and corporate technology team he held several positions in engineering, research, technology scouting and management. During this time, he gained a broad experience in: laser processing of glass fibers, WDM multiplexing, low loss optical interconnects, next generation photonic chip packaging for applications in mobile phones, automotive and high speed computing applications. In March 2017 he accepted a position at SMART Photonics, a scale up in Indium Phosphide wafer manufacturing where he was responsible for the business development. November 2018, Jeroen accepted a position as Chief Commercial Officer at PHIX photonics assembly where he is responsible for the commercial activities and the strategic direction for the hybrid packaging. He is the author and co-author of several publications and holds 15 patent applications in the field of optical interconnection technology.
Jacek Kulakowski (Business Development Manager) has been driving business development at VIGO Photonics since March 2022, with over three years of experience in the role. He holds a Master of Science (MS) degree in Applied Physics from Warsaw University of Technology, where he studied from 2012 to 2019.
Arne Bentfeldt (Head of Sales) is an experienced sales and business development professional in the photonics and precision automation industry. Arne leads commercial strategy, customer engagement, and global business growth across key markets including telecom, sensing, and scientific applications.
Prior to his current position, Arne held significant responsibilities at ficonTEC Service, a leading provider of automated assembly and testing solutions for photonic devices. During his time at ficonTEC, he worked as a product and sales specialist, engaging with customers on advanced photonics assembly systems and representing technology offerings at industry events. Arne also has experience with Aifotec AG, an international company specializing in high-precision photonics assembly and production services, where he contributed to business development and client support in high-technology manufacturing. With a strong technical sales background and deep understanding of photonics manufacturing technologies, Arne connects innovative automation solutions with customer needs, helping advance the deployment of complex optical and photonic systems from development through volume production.
Arne Leinse (CEO) is active in integrated optics for more than 20 years. He received a PhD degree from the University of Twente in the integrated Optical Microsystems group in 2005. Hereafter, he joined LioniX BV where he was involved in the invention and development of the TriPleX™ platform from the beginning. He has been involved from the original concept until the exploitation and (co)authored over 100 articles in the last years. He has been active as Vice-President of LioniX BV in the last years and since the establishment of LioniX-international in 2016 active in the role of Chief Commercial Officer. Since January 2020 Arne is active in the role of CEO, leading the Management Team.
Andrew Robertson (CTO) has a PhD in Laser Physics & Nonlinear Optics and a BSc in Laser Physics & Optoelectronics, both from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Andrew has over 25 years of experience in successful commercial technology development & exploitation within photonics. In 2002, he was one of the founders of SIFAM Fibre Optics which was acquired by Gooch & Housego (G&H) in 2007 after 5 years of growth. Andrew held key senior engineering management roles within G&H and was a member of the Senior Management Team, becoming Senior Vice President and latterly focussing on Strategic Mergers and Acquisitions. Since 2020, Andrew has been with Bay Photonics and as CTO, has led the development of photonics based semiconductor packaging critical for enabling photonic driven Quantum Technology. Bay Photonics are currently supplying packaged SPADs and packaged quantum photonic integrated circuits (Q-PICs) for quantum computing, secure quantum communications, and quantum LIDAR imaging systems.
Twan Korthorst (CEO) is active in the field of chip design and fabrication for non-traditional semiconductor micro and nano technologies (MEMS, microfluidics, integrated photonics) for more than 30 years. After roles in product engineering and manufacturing, he joined PhoeniX Software in 2007 as the CEO. Twan developed the company into a leading supplier of design solutions for photonic ICs. In 2018, Synopsys acquired PhoeniX Software, where he was responsible for the photonic IC strategy across the company and the development of industry’s first unified electronic and photonic design solution: OptoCompiler. Today, Twan is CEO for New Origin, a dedicated PIC foundry for silicon nitride and new materials.
Axel Schönau (Deputy Head of Photonic InP Foundry Group) received his M.Sc. from the Technical University of Berlin in Electrical Engineering in 2018. During his master studies in Berlin and at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in Copenhagen, he placed the focus on optics and photonics. He joint Fraunhofer HHI as a student assistant in 2016 and became a research associate in the Photonic InP Foundry Group in 2019. Coordinating the foundry service comprising customer relation and wafer validation, PIC design in indium-phosphide as well as photonic packaging state his key competences.
Amin Abbasi (Business Manager) received his PhD degrees in ultra-high-speed directly modulated DFB lasers from Ghent University/imec in 2016. He continued his research at imec/UGent on 100 Gb/s single-channel EAM modulators until 2017. He joined AntwerpSpace/OHB as Photonic Team Leader on microwave photonics applications. From 2020, he is in the role of Business Development Manager at imec, covering imec’s SiN/Si 200- and 300-mm photonic platforms for multiple applications such as quantum computing, lidar, bio-sensing, AR/VR. He has (co-)authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications.
Ivan-Lazar Bundalo (CTO) leads the development of PIC-based multisensor technology for bioprocess monitoring. His academic journey took him through Germany, France, Spain, and Australia, culminating in a PhD from the Technical University of Denmark. He brings over 12 years of experience in technical project management, and has played a key role in leading and participating in dozens of multimillion-euro projects across biomedical, sensing, and ICT sectors in Europe. Before joining InSpek, Ivan-Lazar worked on developing optical packaging solutions at Tyndall National Institute in Ireland - where he contributed to the establishment of the PIXAPP Photonics Packaging Pilot Line, and at CSEM in Switzerland - where he provided advanced packaging solutions to Swiss industries.
Tolga Tekin (Group Manager) has received the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Technical University of Berlin, in 2004. He was a Research Scientist with the Optical Signal Processing Department, Fraunhofer HHI, where he was engaged in advanced research on optical signal processing, 3R-regeneration, all-optical switching, clock recovery, and integrated optics. He was a Postdoctoral Researcher on components for O-CDMA and terabit routers with the University of California. He worked at Teles AG on phased-array antennas and their components for skyDSL. At the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM), he then led projects on optical interconnects and silicon photonics packaging. At the Technical University of Berlin, he then engaged in microsystems, photonic integrated system-in-package, photonic interconnects, and 3-D heterogeneous integration research activities. He is Manager of Photonics and Plasmonics Systems Group at Fraunhofer IZM and coordinator of PhoxLab - European Photonics Innovation Hub for Optical Interconnects at Fraunhofer IZM. He coordinated European Flagship project on optical interconnects ‘FP7-PhoxTroT’, and is currently coordinating ‘H2020-L3MATRIX’ and ‘H2020-MASSTART’.
Francisco Rodrigues (CEO) received his Master's Degree in Electronics and Telecommunication from Universidade de Aveiro in 2014 and his PhD in Business and Innovation from the same university in 2023. Following a short research period, in 2015 Francisco joined PICadvanced as optoelectronic engineer contributing to the development of ONU transceivers for NG-PON2 and photonic integrated circuit platform. Since 2017 Francisco is the CEO of PICadvanced S.A. leading the organization to become a known player in telecom technologies and its photonic design/testing/packaging platform for Photonic Integrated Circuits.
Wilfried Noell (Chief Scientist) serves as Chief Scientist and is part of Focuslight’s Business Development team, with expertise in datacom optics, silicon photonics, CPO, microtechnology, optical beam shaping, and photonic miniaturization. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the photonics industry, including senior leadership roles as Senior Principal Scientist and Director of R&D at SUSS MicroOptics (now Focuslight Switzerland). Dr. Noell began his career at the University of Neuchâtel and later held key positions at Comet AG and EPFL. He holds a PhD in Si-Photonics from IMM Mainz / Uni Ulm and a master’s degree in physics from TU Darmstadt / Deutsche Telekom focused on InP integrated optics.
Iain McKenzie (Senior Engineer) is currently managing the research and development of fibre optic and photonic components for future space applications. He received the B.Eng. degree in electronic and electrical engineering and the M.Phil. degree in optoelectronics from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, U.K., in 1991 and 1993, respectively. Since 2002, he has been working with the European Space Agency, where he is the focal point for photonics managing the harmonisation of the photonics technology. His research interests include optical communications, optical fibre sensors, microphotonics, and optoelectronic packaging for harsh environments.
Giorgio Cazzaniga (Senior Director of Product Management) joined Jabil in 2019. In this role, his responsibilities range from defining the roadmap for Jabil Photonics products and advanced manufacturing capabilities, including photonics packaging to support customers in field. He began his career at Alcatel in 1997 as an Optical System Engineer in R&D and remained at Alcatel-Lucent until 2014, holding various roles in R&D management and later in Product Management. In 2014, he joined SIAE Microelettronica with the goal of defining and managing optical product lines.
Matthias Kail (Sales Engineer) is a sales professional with expertise in PIC packaging for harsh environments. As Sales Engineer at PhotonFirst in Alkmaar, he builds and fosters strong partnerships with innovators in high-stakes fields, from quantum pioneers and aerospace trailblazers to defence experts, nautical engineers, and sub-sea specialists. Prior to PhotonFirst, he gained experience in system integration and technical sales at Dutch and Danish SMEs, focusing on fibre optics and data networks for demanding conditions. An Austrian national, he holds a degree from the University of Vienna.
Matthias Lauermann (Technology Fellow studied Electrical Engineering and Communications at KIT, earning his Diploma in 2011 and Dr.-Ing. in 2017 with a focus on integrated optics. After serving as a Research Assistant at KIT until 2015, he spent two years at Infinera Corp. in Sunnyvale, CA, as a Senior Development Engineer. He has been with Vanguard Automation since its inception in 2017 and currently serves as Technology Fellow. In this role, he leads R&D, overseeing the development of materials, standardized fabrication processes, and optical systems, while also driving patent strategy and coordinating research programs.
Laurent Mendizabal (R&D Engineer - Reliability of Photonic Components and Systems) received the PhD degree from the University of Bordeaux, France, in 2006. From 2006 to 2009, he worked as project manager in the reliability consulting department at Serma Technologies. He joined the CEA Leti in 2010 as research engineer to work on several topics as optoelectronic components reliability and power electronics packaging. He is currently in charge of the optical coupling activities in the packaging lab of the Optics and Photonics Department (DOPT) at Leti.
Stefan Richter (Principal Scientist) is a senior physicist at the ZEISS Group with a 21-year tenure in Corporate Research & Technology. He currently serves as a Principal Scientist, leading advanced research initiatives for the group. He has been a key member of the ZEISS scientific community since 2004. Stefan holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics in Halle.
Sylwester Latkowski (Senior Researcher) born in Szczecin, Poland, received M.Sc. and Eng. degrees in optoelectronics and technical physics from West Pomeranian University of Technology (formerly Technical University of Szczecin), Szczecin, Poland. His postgraduate research activities in the Centre for High Speed Devices and Systems in the RINCE Institute, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland were concerned with passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers and their applications in optical telecommunications and terahertz generation and have led to the award of a Ph.D. degree. He has followed up his research interests in Photonic Integration group in COBRA Research Institute, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), the Netherlands with a main focus on development of photonics integrated circuits and on-chip laser sources for sensing applications. At present he is a staff member of JePPIX Technology Center, Institute for Photonic Integration at TU/e with main responsibilities covering test and packaging of photonics integrated circuits. Sylwester is a senior member of IEEE and IEEE Photonics Society. He has authored and co-authored more than 95 publications in international scientific journals and conference proceedings.
Eric Mounier (Chief Analyst) is Fellow Analyst at Yole Group (Yole), with more than 25+ years of experience within the semiconductor industry. He provides daily in-depth insights into current and future semiconductor trends, markets and innovative technologies (such as Quantum computing, Si photonics, new sensing technologies, new type of sensors ...). Based on relevant methodological expertise and a strong technological background, he works closely with all the teams at Yole to point out disruptive technologies and analyze and present business opportunities through technology & market reports and custom consulting projects. With numerous internal workshops on technologies, methodologies, best practices and more, Yole’s Fellow Analyst ensures the training of Yole’s Technology & Market Analysts. In this position, he has spoken in numerous international conferences, presenting his vision of the semiconductor industry and latest technical innovations. He has also authored or co-authored more than 100 papers as well as more than 120 Yole’s technology & market reports. Previously, Eric held R&D and Marketing positions at CEA Leti (France). Eric has a PhD. in Semiconductor Engineering and a degree in Optoelectronics from the National Polytechnic Institute of Grenoble (France).
Alex Borodkin (Staff R&D engineer) has been with Innolume since 2023, serving as a Research and Development Engineer. Prior to this, he was a PhD Researcher at the Institut de Physique de Nice (INPHYNI) from December 2020 to June 2023. Alex also spent over six years at ITMO University, as a Scientific Researcher and Teaching Assistant between 2020 and 2023.
