This first episode of 2026 features Craig Bandes, president and CEO of next-generation nanomaterial developer/manufacturer Pixelligent Technologies. He has more than 25 years of experience as a CEO, entrepreneur, and investor covering industries including technology and defense.

As 2025 draws to a close, we're revisiting the year's interesting and intriguing interviews. Here are excerpts from the top 5 most popular Following the Photons episodes of 2025.

Thank you all for your continued support! Cheers to a happy and prosperous 2026!

Here's another edition of Light News! Join host Justine Murphy as she follows the photons into some of the coolest, most exciting news impacting the photonics industry.

Host Justine Murphy talked recently with Michele Nichols, president of Launch Team Inc., a strategic marketing firm that helps photonics-focused companies to navigate change and ultimately boost their competitive advantage.

In this episode, Michele shares her perspectives on the state of the industry and where it’s headed, as well as some thoughts and hopes for the future.

This episode features Dirk Hauschild, a Senior Strategic Marketing Expert with Focuslight Technologies.

He talks with host Justine Murphy about his more than 30 years of experience in the design, development, and integration of micro-optical components and systems, his work with Focuslight, and his thoughts on the future.

In this second installment of a two-part episode, Dr. Aydogan Ozcan—a chancellor’s professor in the Samueli Electrical & Computer Engineering school at UCLA, where he also leads the Bio- and Nanophotonics Lab—reflects on some important lessons learned throughout his career that he’s passing on to the next generation of researchers, and we delve into what’s needed to keep the U.S. competitive globally in the research and development realm.  

This week features another edition of Light News, a quick roundup of some of the coolest, most exciting news impacting the photonics industry. Let's go follow those photons!

Here, host Justine Murphy talks with Dr. Aydogan Ozcan, an extremely accomplished professor, lab leader, and mentor who has spent years studying and developing technologies in areas including computational imaging, deep learning optics, and microscopy.

This first of a two-part episode dives into some interesting aspects of his work and experiences in the photonics industry.

This episode features a fun, insightful interview with Lee Steneken, president of Esco Optics. He’s a third-generation president of the family-owned company who moved up the ranks from a part-time machine operator during his high school years, to various roles in marketing and sales after college, before taking the helm as president in 2011.

In this episode, he talks with host Justine Murphy about his years in the optics industry, finding the right balance between career and family life, and what the future holds for Esco Optics’ lasting legacy.

This week features a great interview with Dr. Tara Fortier, a project leader in the Time and Frequency Division at NIST, a role in which she oversees cutting-edge research in precision optical and microwave metrology, and laser source development.

She’s heavily involved in the scientific community via organizations like the American Physical Society and Optica, and active participation in outreach programs like SPIE’s Women in Optics.