The Photonics Frontiers Award 2025 is delighted to announce that Alison McLeod, the Director of Photonics Scotland at Technology Scotland, and Miles Padgett, Royal Society Research Professor and Kelvin Chair at the University of Glasgow, will join its independent judging panel.
Designed to celebrate the most groundbreaking applications of photonics, this award is an opportunity to showcase your project to a global audience, gain credibility with expert validation, and unlock new collaborations and market opportunities. McLeod and Padgett join EPIC's Antonio Castelo and John Lincoln of the UK Photonics Leadership Group on the judging panel of the Photonics Frontiers Award 2025.
Entries are now open, so click on the button below to apply.
Alison McLeod
Alison is the the Director of Photonics Scotland at Technology Scotland and has joined this year's Photonics Frontiers Award as a judge in the 'Environmental monitoring and sustainability' category.
She has 20 years of experience working in academic, industrial and consultancy roles. After achieving her PhD in Photonics she worked as a Research Associate before leaving academia and joining industry in the role of technical sales/account manager in the health physics and photonics sectors. Alison then moved to a role dedicated to project management and proposal writing for EU funded projects, gaining extensive experience across a wide variety of research topics.
She is responsible for the Photonics Scotland network: connecting members with the support they need, fostering cross-collaboration, representing the interests of the sector to Government as well as planning and running specific events and activities for the Photonics Scotland network.
Miles Padgett
Miles Padgett is a Royal Society Research Professor, holds the Kelvin Chair of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow and was recognised in the first Photonics100. He has joined this year's Photonics Frontiers Award as a judge in the 'Photonic and optical sensors' category.
His research team covers all things optical, from the basic ways in which light behaves as it pushes and twists the world around us, to the application of new optical techniques in imaging and sensing. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society (the UK's national academy), in addition to various subject specific societies. He has won national and international prizes including, in 2017 the Max Born Award of the Optica (USA), in 2019 the Rumford Medal of the Royal Society and in 2021 the Quantum Electronics and Optics Prize of the European Physical Society.
Miles is currently the Principal Investigator of QuantIC, the UK's Centre of excellence for research and innovation in quantum enhanced imaging, bringing together eight Universities with more than 40 industry partners.
In 2023 he stepped up to be the Interim Executive Chair of EPSRC (the UK’s national funder) where he successfully campaigned to increase the number of funded Graduate Student Centres by over 50% (>1000 additional students) through building stronger ties across UKRI and Government. He is currently a member of the UK Committee on Research Integrity, the SPIE Board of Directors (USA) and the Hong Kong Research Grants Council.
Who should enter the Photonics Frontiers Award?
Winning a Photonics Frontiers Award means more than just an accolade. It’s an opportunity to showcase your project to a global audience, gain credibility with expert validation, and unlock new collaborations and market opportunities. With diverse categories covering everything from spectroscopy to sustainability, we’re looking for projects that push the boundaries of applied photonics. Entries close on 15 March 2025 - submit yours today!
The award is open to integrators, OEMs, academic institutions, and end users actively working on photonic projects. Technology vendors and component manufacturers are encouraged to collaborate with their clients to support their submissions.
Timeline
Entries are now open! Key dates include:
- Submissions deadline: 15 March, 2025
- Shortlist announcement: 22 April, 2025
- Award ceremony: 24 June, 2025, at Laser World of Photonics.
How to enter
Submitting your project is simple:
- Visit https://tinyurl.com/5n6c2c3b
- Complete the entry form and upload supporting materials.
- Await confirmation and updates from our team.
Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate the application of photonics and gain well-deserved recognition for your innovative projects.
Enter now and be part of the Photonics Frontiers Award 2025 – where innovation meets impact.
If you have any queries, please contact rachel.marston@europascience.com.
