Team

Anahit Hambardzumyan is a doctoral researcher at the Institut für Strahlwerkzeuge (IFSW), University of Stuttgart. Within TRADES, she works on the design and optical characterization of highly tolerant and robust dispersive devices based on grating-waveguide structures.

Her path into photonics began in Yerevan, where she studied microwave engineering and developed a non-invasive microwave sensor for glucose measurement during her bachelor's thesis. Alongside her studies, she worked as a machine-learning engineer on computer-vision systems for drones and embedded hardware.

She later moved into optics through the Erasmus Mundus master's programme in Photonics and Nanotechnologies, with studies at Politecnico di Torino and research stays in France and Finland. At Laboratoire Hubert Curien, she used nanosecond laser printing to deposit microscale features. At Merck in France, she built and automated a polarimetric imaging bench that improved the detection limit for buried defects in silicon wafers tenfold. More recently, at the PhotonicsAI Lab in Yerevan, she constructed a DMD-based microscope for patterning light in liquid crystals.

Tobias is a doctoral researcher at the Institut für Strahlwerkzeuge (IFSW), University of Stuttgart. Within TRADES, his research focuses on the implementation of novel waveguide grating mirrors for intracavity dispersion management and pulse compression in high-power, 1-µm thin-disk lasers.

He holds a Master's degree from the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, where he contributed to the development of diode-pumped ultrafast Alexandrite lasers. Following graduation, he worked at Menhir Photonics as a Laser Production Engineer, building ultra-low-noise mode-locked lasers.

Nusrat Konok is an MSCA doctoral researcher at the Institut für Technische Optik (ITO), University of Stuttgart. Within TRADES, her research focuses on fabricating and characterizing pulse compression gratings using SBIL.

Nusrat Konok holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and completed the Erasmus Mundus master's programme RADMEP, graduating magna cum laude. During her master's studies, she gained research experience in materials science, ion-beam techniques, chip design, and advanced optics. Her studies took her from Finland to KU Leuven in Belgium and to France, and she also had the opportunity to complete a training workshop at CERN.

For her master's thesis, Nusrat worked as a research intern at the Institute of Nanotechnology of Lyon (INL), where she designed, fabricated, and characterized a Ga₂O₃-based heterojunction photodetector. She also developed a new material model from scratch and incorporated it into TCAD simulations using the ECORCE workbench.

Tiago Rego Crispim is an MSCA Doctoral Fellow at the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC), University of Southampton. Within TRADES, he is working on dielectric all-crystalline grating-waveguide structures for high-power lasers, fabricated using pulsed laser deposition. Originally from Portugal, he studied Materials Engineering at the University of Minho and worked as a research assistant at CMEMS-UMinho, using laser ablation to create surface microstructures for improved heat transfer and antibacterial activity.

He later carried out his master's thesis at Graz University of Technology in the Attosecond Metaoptic Microscopy Laboratory, working on metasurfaces for extreme-ultraviolet light.

Sandhya Lalbahadur Vishwakarma is a PhD researcher at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Joensuu, Finland, and an MSCA doctoral fellow in the TRADES Doctoral Network. She holds an M.Sc. in Physics and has previous research experience at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), where she worked on III–V semiconductor device fabrication, particularly GaAs-based field-effect transistors. She also worked on 2D materials and quantum dots. Her experience includes lithography, metal contact fabrication, wet etching, and electrical characterization.

Her current research focuses on developing and optimizing fabrication processes for grating-waveguide structures using direct electron-beam writing and reactive ion etching (RIE). Through this research, she aims to achieve high-precision and uniform grating structures for efficient pulse compression in high-power laser systems. Her research interests include nanofabrication, photonics, and advanced optical technologies.

Kevin Nicholas is a doctoral researcher at Laboratoire Hubert Curien (LabHC), Université Jean Monnet, Saint-Étienne, France. Within TRADES, he works on the fabrication of large-area diffraction gratings using in-flight, phase-mask-based interference lithography, with a focus on process optimisation, scalability, and reproducibility for high-power laser applications.

His path into microfabrication began in India, where he studied electrical and electronics engineering at VIT University and worked on microelectrode array fabrication for sensing applications during his bachelor's thesis. He subsequently pursued biomedical engineering at the University of Bern, Switzerland, before specializing in microfabrication through a master's degree in Engineering at Bern University of Applied Sciences. His master's thesis focused on optimizing silicon-wafer photolithography processes for the fabrication of bespoke microfluidic chips.

He later joined the National University of Singapore as a research associate, where he developed extensive hands-on experience in photolithography, thin-film deposition, etching, and optomechanical experimentation across a range of substrates. This combination of microfabrication and electro- & opto-mechanical experimentation now informs his research into scalable manufacturing processes for large-area diffraction gratings.

Francesco recently joined the HiLASE Centre as a doctoral researcher and is pursuing his PhD at the Czech Technical University in Prague. Within TRADES, he is working on implementing highly tolerant grating-waveguide dispersive elements for high-energy laser systems operating at 1 and 2 μm.

Francesco graduated with a master's degree in Electronics Engineering from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy. During his studies, he developed a strong interest in photonics and laser engineering and gained practical experience at Alite in Turin in blue laser-diode characterization, beam combining, and laser-diode drivers.

Yebeen Jeon is a doctoral researcher at the HiLASE Centre and is pursuing his PhD at the Czech Technical University in Prague. Within TRADES, his research focuses on ultrashort-pulse infrared lasers and grating-waveguide-structure dispersion elements. His work also involves laser tuning systems, pulse stretching and compression, and the characterization of optical components, including laser-induced damage threshold and diffraction efficiency.

Yebeen holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Handong Global University in South Korea. With a background in computer science, he is particularly interested in applying Python and computational methods to laser research.

Haru YOSHIDA is a PhD researcher at Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering (IOM) in Germany, specialising in plasma/ion-surface interactions. Within TRADES, his doctoral research centres on development of reactive ion beam etching techniques for fabricating grating structures, with an emphasis on understanding and controlling ion-surface processes to realise precise and homogenous pattern transfer.

Prior to pursuing his doctorate, he worked as a process R&D engineer at a semiconductor company in Japan, where he was involved in reactive ion etching and process integration. His master’s and bachelor’s theses investigated plasma-surface reactions in the field of nuclear fusion, combining experimental and simulation-based approaches.

Büşra Karakaş is a doctoral researcher at the University of Liège. Within TRADES, she focuses on the environmental footprint and eco-design of grating-waveguide structures. Her research uses life-cycle assessment to compare manufacturing routes, develop eco-design recommendations, and assess their potential environmental benefits at the laser-system level.

Büşra Karakaş holds an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's degree in Advanced Materials: Innovative Recycling from the University of Liège and the University of Miskolc, supported by EIT RawMaterials. She graduated magna cum laude and also holds a BSc in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from Yıldız Technical University. Her background spans materials engineering and characterization, quality engineering, recycling technologies, and life-cycle assessment, with professional experience in the aerospace and textile sectors.