Past Events

Photonics Initiative Seminar: Dimitrios Sounas

March 11, 2026 @ 1:30 pm

Wave Engineering with Active Metamaterials: Nonreciprocity, Bandwidth Enhancement, and Analog Computing Modern technological systems are subject to escalating demands for miniaturization, speed, adaptability, and energy efficiency. Conventional design approaches are increasingly approaching fundamental performance limits. Overcoming these constraints requires adopting novel material platforms that are not subject to the constraints of conventional materials. To this Read More

Photonics Initiative Seminar: Giovanni Scuri

March 9, 2026 @ 11:00 am

Heterogeneously integrated photonic systems for quantum science Photonic integration of solid-state quantum emitters offers a promising route to scalable on-chip quantum technologies. Achieving this goal requires combining material platforms that provide both strong opto-electronic tunability and robust qubit coherence. In this talk, I will discuss our recent progress in characterizing and enhancing the coherence of Read More

Photonics Initiative Seminar: Javier Garcia De Abajo

February 19, 2026 @ 11:00 am

Dr. Javier Garcia De Abajo (ICREA) Title: When free electrons meet light: Quantum interactions at the nanoscale Abstract: At the intersection of electron microscopy and attosecond science, ultrafast electron microscopy has emerged as a research frontier aiming to investigate material excitations with an unprecedented combination of spatiotemporal resolution, while also granting us access to quantum Read More

Photonics Initiative Seminar: Itai Cohen

February 9, 2026 @ 11:00 am

Dr. Itai Cohen, Cornell University Electronically Integrated Autonomous Microscopic Robots Abstract - What would we be able to do if we could build electronically integrated machines the at a scale of 100 microns? At this scale, semiconductor devices are small enough that we could put the computational power of the spaceship Voyager onto a machine Read More

Photonics Initiative Seminar: Rainer Hillenbrand

February 3, 2026 @ 11:00 am

Dr. Rainer Hillenbrand, CIC nanoGUNE Polaritonic Insights from Near-field Nanoscopy: Flat-Band Ultrastrong Coupling and Plasmons in Gold Monolayers Abstract - Scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) and nanoscale Fourier-transform infrared (nano-FTIR) spectroscopy probe light–matter interactions at the nanoscale using the sharp tip an atomic force microscope (AFM) as an optical antenna. The illuminated tip generates Read More

LinkedIn Training for Academics

January 28, 2026 @ 12:30 pm

Join us for a practical, beginner-friendly workshop on how academics can use LinkedIn to showcase their expertise, expand professional networks, and increase the visibility of their research and teaching. This session will cover optimizing profiles for academic and public-facing work, understanding how the platform’s algorithm works, and crafting posts that highlight publications, projects, events, and career milestones Read More

Bluesky Training for Academics

January 13, 2026 @ 12:30 pm

Learn how academics can promote their research and make useful connections on Bluesky.

Alumni and Friends Community Science Night

December 16, 2025 @ 4:30 pm

Join us on Tuesday, Dec. 16 to reconnect and learn all about what's happening at the CUNY ASRC! All are welcome — especially former and current students, interns, summer researchers, and their friends and family. The night will include fun science activities for all ages and an updated tour of the the CUNY ASRC's state-of-the-art Read More

Photonics Initiative Seminar: Igor Aharonovich

December 5, 2025 @ 10:00 am

Dr. Igor Aharonovich, University of Technology Sydney Quantum Technologies with Hexagonal Boron Nitride Abstract - Engineering robust, solid‐state quantum systems is amongst the most pressing challenges to realise scalable quantum photonic circuitry. In recent years, quantum emitters in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) have emerged as fascinating candidates for realisation of room temperature quantum technologies with Read More

Photonics Initiative Seminar: Matthew White

December 2, 2025 @ 2:00 pm

Dr. Matthew White, University of Vermont Host: Matthew Sfeir Metal-dielectric photonic crystal organic light emitting diodes: band structure, defect engineering, and topological states. Abstract: We investigate the band structure of metal-dielectric photonic crystals comprising stacked organic semiconductor microcavities with silver metal mirrors. Employing organic semiconductor dielectric layers allows the unit cells in the crystal to Read More