Dr. Nguyễn Hữu Hà, Deputy Director of the Gia Lai Department of Science and Technolog addresses the opening of the ASEAN plus Photonics Symposium on Wednesday. Photos courtesy of ICISE

GIA LAI Amidst the rapid advancement of science and technology, photonics and light-matter interaction are playing a pivotal role in cutting-edge fields such as information technology, telecommunications, biomedicine, new materials, and quantum technology, said an official.

Dr. Nguyễn Hữu Hà, Deputy Director of the Gia Lai Department of Science and Technology made the statement at the opening of the the ASEAN plus Photonics Symposium on Wednesday. The event is being held at the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) in Quy Nhơn Nam Ward, Gia Lai Province.

Jointly organised by ICISE in collaboration with École Centrale de Lyon (ECL), University of Lyon (France) and the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), Nanyang Technological University (NTU, Singapore), the conference witnesses the attendance of nearly 40 delegates, including professors, scientists, young researchers, and PhD candidates from 12 countries, including France, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Italy, India, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia.

The workshop brings together world-renowned scientists in this field, notably Prof. Gao Weibo (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore); Prof. Rho Junsuk (Pohang University of Science and Technology - POSTECH, South Korea); Prof. Sergej Flach (Institute for Basic Science - IBS, South Korea).

The conference aims to establish a high-quality international scientific forum where researchers, scientists, and engineers can exchange the latest research breakthroughs, emerging trends, and future development prospects in the field of photonics and light-matter interaction.

Furthermore, it seeks to foster scientific exchange and research collaboration between ASEAN nations and international partners, while strengthening and expanding research networks across Asia and the world.

Prof. Sergej Flach, Institute for Basic Science (Republic of Korea), delivers a keynote lecture on "Flat Band Physics and its Photonic Applications".

The topics discussed are diverse and highly specialised, including: Nanophotonics and metasurfaces; Topological and non-Hermitian photonics; Photonic crystals and optical lattices; Light-matter interaction and polariton systems; Quantum and non-linear optics; Integrated and silicon photonics; Ultrafast and terahertz photonics; Photonic devices, lasers, and emergent materials; Applied photonics in sensing, imaging, and information processing.

“These are all spearhead sectors that provide the foundation for advanced technologies, particularly in applications such as data transmission and processing, sensing, and the development of smart device systems,” said Hà.

“I am confident that this conference will serve as a practical and effective academic forum—a place where innovative ideas are exchanged, collaborative partnerships are forged, and significant research directions are formulated. In doing so, it will help drive the advancement of photonics in Việt Nam while bolstering the ASEAN region’s standing on the global scientific map," he added. VNS