Advisory Board

The AB is composed by International key experts in the areas of phononics that will participate actively in the project discussions, supporting the consortium with their knowledge and experiences in their areas of expertise.

Philip Engel.

Holds a Master Degree in Physics with a focus in Optic/Photonics from the Humboldt-University of Berlin. He performed his Bachelor and Master Thesis in the Nanooptik AG (HU Berlin) under the supervision of Prof. Oliver Benson. Parallel to his research activity at the University, he started working in 2010 for the HOLOEYE Photonics AG, specializing in the field of spatial light modulators (SLM) with liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS). He is in charge of the optical and dynamic simulations of LCOS, as well as the design of experiments for characterisation of the SLMs. As Head of LC-related technologies development he is supervising the design, manufacturing and characterisation of the LCOS. Furthermore he is strongly involved in development activities with industrial customers.

Vicenta Ferrer Chova.

She is a Telecommunications Engineer from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, and PMD – Program for Management Development from ESADE. She has developed his professional career since 1997 in both technological development companies and business development and transformation of companies in productive sectors.

Since 2012 she has been part of the management team of Nayar Systems, currently exercising the functions of COO as the maximum responsible in the coordination and management of processes, guaranteeing the engagement of all areas. She is a member of the innovation committee for business development and internationalization of the company.

Prof. Krzysztof M. Abramski 

He received the MSc and PhD. degrees in electronics from the Wrocław University of Technology, Wrocław, Poland, in 1971 and 1978, respectively. At that time, he worked at frequency modulation and frequency stabilization of gas laser radiation and many aspects of spectral properties of laser radiation. During 1983–1984, he was a Research Fellow with Quantum Electronics Group lead by Prof. W. J. Wittemeam, Twente University of Technology, The Netherlands. In 1987, he spent half a year with the Department of Applied Physics, Hull University, U.K., and after that for over four years, till the end of 1992, he was a Visiting Scientist at Optoelectronics and Lasers Engineering Group, Heriott-Watt University, Edinburgh, U.K., in the research group of Prof. Dr. Hall. He spent this time investigating different aspects of RF excited lasers (waveguides, slab waveguides, waveguide arrays, phase locking structures).

He returned to Wrocław University of Technology in 1993, where he started creating the Laser and Fibre Electronics Group. He also initiated the teaching program of optoelectronics and optocommunications for students of the Department of Electronics. He is currently a Full Professor at the Wrocław University of Technology. His current work on optical fibre lasers (cw tunable, femtosecond, combs) and microchip solid-state diode pumped includes optical fibre sensors, free-space, and optical fibre communications

Prof. Sylvain Gigan.

Sylvain Gigan obtained an engineering degree from Ecole Polytechnique (Palaiseau France) in 2000. After a Master Specialization in Physics from University Paris XI (Orsay, France), he obtained a PhD in Physics 2004 from University Pierre and Marie Curie (Paris, France) in quantum and non-linear Optics.

From 2004 to 2007, he was a postdoctoral researcher in Vienna University (Austria), working on quantum optomechanics, in the group of Markus Aspelmeyer and Anton Zeilinger. In 2007, he joined ESPCI ParisTech as Associate Professor, and started working on optical imaging in complex media and wavefront shaping techniques, at the Langevin Institute.

Since 2014, he is full professor at Sorbonne Université, and group leader in Laboratoire Kastler-Brossel, at Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS, Paris). His research interests range from fundamental investigations of light propagation in complex media, biomedical imaging, sensing, signal processing, to quantum optics and quantum informations in complex media.

Prof. Alastair P Hibbins 

Born in Taunton, Somerset in 1975, he undertook his undergraduate and PhD degrees at Exeter, and has been a member staff since 2000. He was awarded a prestigious EPSRC Advanced Fellowship in 2004. In 2007 he became a Lecturer, and was promoted to full professor at the end of 2016. He is now Director of the Centre for Metamaterial Research and Innovation and the associated EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Metamaterials, and leads the microwave and acoustics labs in the Physics building.

His interdisciplinary team of researchers work on a wide range of fundamental and industry-inspired projects collaborating with many other academics in the department (e.g. Profs Sambles, Ogrin, Hicken, Drs Horsell, Horsley). Currently the team comprises of 6 postdoctoral research fellows and 11 PhD researchers exploring how the energy associated with electromagnetic and acoustic waves and fluid flow can be manipulated using structured materials including metamaterials

Tribute to Sarah Benchabane

It is with deep sadness that we remember Sarah Benchabane, a valued member of the DYNAMO Advisory Board, who passed away after a long battle with illness. Highly appreciated by her colleagues for her professionalism and dedication to the scientific community, she leaves behind a huge human and scientific void.

Sarah’s career was marked by her passion for science and her groundbreaking research. After obtaining a DEA specialization in Optics and Optoelectronics in 2003 at Jean Monnet University in Saint-Étienne, she joined the FEMTO-ST Institute to pursue a doctorate in Engineering Sciences, focusing on waveguiding and filtering in phononic crystals, which she defended in December 2006. Following her thesis, Sarah joined the Optoelectronics group at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) in Barcelona as a contract researcher, where she worked on the development of integrated optical components made from periodically reversed lithium niobate. In January 2008, she returned to FEMTO-ST as a CNRS researcher.

Her research focused primarily on the study of the propagation of elastic waves in micro- and nano-structures (phononic crystals and phononic micro- and nano-resonators) and their potential interaction with optical waves. Sarah’s contributions to the field of optoelectronics and her dedication to advancing scientific knowledge have left an indelible mark.

Sarah’s legacy will continue to inspire all who had the privilege of working with her. She will always be remembered for her immense talent, her kindness, and her unwavering commitment to science.