MDPI International Day of Light 2026 Webinar
Important Dates
- Registration end dateApr 29, 2026
Meet Our Speakers
Dr. Aung Ko Ko Kyaw
Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, China;
Dr. Aung Ko Ko Kyaw is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Southern University of Science and Technology, a Fellow of RSC (FRSC), and a senior member of IEEE Photonics. He earned his B.Eng. (2007) and Ph.D. (2012) from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, followed by postdoctoral work at the University of California, Santa Barbara (Alan Heeger’s lab), the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, and A*STAR, Singapore. With over 160 SCI papers (11000+ citations, H-index 50) in journals like Energy Environ. Sci., Nat. Commun., Adv. Mater., Adv. Energy Mater., and Angewandte Chemie, he also holds 19 patents and has delivered 40 invited talks. His research focuses on organic/perovskite optoelectronics for energy, sensing, and wearable devices. Recognized as a World’s Top 2% Scientist (Stanford) and recipient of the Distinguished Lectureship Award (Japanese Chemical Society), the Green Talents Award (Germany), and the IAAM Medal (Sweden), he drives innovation in sustainable technologies. He serves as an editorial board member of Photonics (MDPI) and an associate editor of Frontiers in Electronic Materials and Nano Futures.
Dr. Lorenzo Giuffrida
The Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC, ELI Beamlines Facility, Czech Republic;
Lorenzo Giuffrida is the head of the Ion Acceleration and Applications Department at the ELI Beamlines Facility (ELI ERIC), a leading European research infrastructure for high-power laser science. He received his PhD in Physics from the University of Messina (Italy), with research conducted at INFN-LNS (Catania, Italy) on laser ion sources and post-acceleration techniques.
After postdoctoral positions at CELIA-CNRS (University of Bordeaux, France), he joined the ELI-Beamlines project in Prague, where he contributed to the development of advanced laser-driven ion acceleration technologies. From 2014 to 2022, he served as a researcher and Deputy Head of the Ion Acceleration Department, playing a key role in the design, development, and commissioning of the ELIMAIA beamline. Since 2023, he has led the department and is responsible for the ELIMAIA and ELIMED user beamlines.
His research focuses on laser-driven ion acceleration, laser–plasma interaction diagnostics, and the development of compact particle sources for multidisciplinary applications. He is also actively involved in laser-driven nuclear reactions, with particular emphasis on proton–boron (p–B) fusion and its applications in energy and medical physics.
He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and is actively engaged in international collaborations and user-oriented research programs.
Dr. Yannis Paulus
Department of Ophthalmology and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University Wilmer Eye Institute, USA;
Yannis M. Paulus, M.D., FACS, FARVO, is an academic vitreoretinal surgeon and clinician scientist who directs an active, multidisciplinary lab applying optics, photonics, biomedical engineering, regenerative medicine, AI, biodesign, and nanoparticles to develop novel retinal imaging and therapies in retinal diseases. He is the Jonas Friedenwald Professor in Ophthalmology and Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University Wilmer Eye Institute. He serves as inventor on 11 patent applications and has more than 250 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals such as Nature Communications, Nature Nanotechnology, Advanced Materials, Light: Science and Applications, ACS Nano, Science Advances, Scientific Reports, Ophthalmology, The Lancet, and JAMA Ophthalmology, and has started three retinal start-ups. He is a Fellow of Optica, SPIE (International Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers), the American College of Surgeons, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). He has received numerous fellowships and awards from leading international organizations, including the ARVO/Alcon Early Career Clinician-Scientist Research Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award, Senior Member Designation by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Heed Ophthalmic Foundation, and the Evangelos S. Gragoudas Award from the Macula Society.
Sponsors and Partners
Organizer
Co-organizer
Celebrated each year on 16 May and led by UNESCO, the International Day of Light recognises the profound impact of light and light-based technologies on science, culture, education, and sustainable development.
This occasion also commemorates the first successful operation of a laser in 1960—a breakthrough that continues to shape modern innovation, from advanced research to everyday applications.
This webinar brings together experts across disciplines to explore how light is driving progress in fields such as optics, photonics, materials science, and sustainability.
We look forward to welcoming you to this webinar and hope the session will inspire new ideas, foster meaningful discussions, and encourage future collaborations.
Date: 15 May 2026
Time: 1:00 pm CEST | 7:00 pm CST (Asia) | 7:00 am EDT
Webinar ID: 863 0596 4340
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
| Speaker | Presentation | Time (CEST) | Time (CST Asia / SGT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDPI Introduction | 1:00 – 1:10 pm | 7:00 – 7:10 pm | |
| Dr. Aung Ko Ko Kyaw | Advanced Interface Engineering: Unlocking the Full Potential of Perovskite Solar Cells | 1:10 – 1:30 pm | 7:10 – 7:30 pm |
| Dr. Lorenzo Giuffrida | Laser-Driven Particle Acceleration: From Fundamental Physics to Sustainable Applications | 1:30 – 1:50 pm | 7:30 – 7:50 pm |
| Dr. Yannis Paulus | Photoacoustic, OCT, and Fluorescence Multimodal Imaging-Guided Retinal Stem Cell Therapy | 1:50 – 2:10 pm | 7:50 – 8:10 pm |
| Q&A | 2:10 – 2:25 pm | 8:10 – 8:25 pm | |
| Closing of Webinar | 2:25 – 2:30 pm | 8:25 – 8:30 pm |
Entropy
"Fundamentals and Applications of Quantum Information and Quantum Optics"
Special Issue Editors: Dr. Shahaf Asban and Dr. Ángel S. Sanz
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026
Optics
"Photoacoustic Imaging and Sensing: New Developments and Horizons"
Special Issue Editors: Dr. Mario Siciliani de Cumis, Dr. Stefano Dello Russo and Dr. Jacopo Pelini
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2026
Atoms
"Quantum and Optical Phenomena in Atomic Systems"
Special Issue Editor: Prof. Dr. Jean-Patrick Connerade
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026
Photonics
"Photonic Integrated Circuits for Information, Computing and Sensing"
Special Issue Editor: Dr. Andrea Salamon, Dr. Liam O’Faolain and Dr. Simone Iadanza
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2026
Quantum Beam Science (QuBs)
"Advances in Quantum Beams, Photonic Sources and Laser‑Driven Systems"
Special Issue Editor: Prof. Dr. Sergey Y. Yurish
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026
Topics
"Nanomaterials for Photonics and Optoelectronics: Practical Applications and Advances"
Topic Editors: Prof. Dr. Luciana R. P. Kassa, Dr. Raul Rangel-Rojo and Dr. Rafael Salas-Montiel
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 June 2027