Q4 American Physical Society Austin Community Meetup: Photonics Focus

Join the American Physical Society (APS) for the next event in its quarterly Community Meetup series in Austin, designed to strengthen connections between academia, industry, and the region’s deep tech ecosystem.

The Q4 event will feature a panel discussion on “Photonics Across Industries – Growth, Gaps, and Opportunities.” The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Thien-An Nguyen, Chief Technology Officer, ORCA Computing, and will include Dr. Brian Cline, CEO and Co-Founder of Lumoniq, Dr. Nanshu Lu, Carol Cockrell Curran Chair in Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, with additional speakers to be announced.

Photonics is no longer confined to the lab—it is becoming the backbone of technologies that shape our daily lives, from powering AI and data centers to transforming healthcare, sensing, and secure communications. This event will bring together experts across sectors to explore where photonics is growing fastest, the challenges that remain, and the new opportunities emerging at the intersection of science and industry.

Key themes include:

• Photonics for AI and Data Centers – Co-packaged optics, silicon photonics, and high-bandwidth interconnects are redefining how computing scales.
• Photonics in Healthcare and Sensing – From biosensing and wearables to environmental monitoring, photonics is driving new innovation in health and biotech.
• Scaling Photonics Manufacturing and Supply Chains – Moving from prototypes to volume production requires new strategies in foundries, packaging, and integration.

Held in downtown Austin, the event offers engaging dialogue, high-impact networking, and cross-sector collaboration. Open to physicists, researchers, tech professionals, investors, and the broader scientific community.

Enjoy a hosted bar and heavy hors d’oeuvres while networking throughout this pre-holiday event. Come in your ugliest holiday sweater for a chance to win fun prizes—plus enjoy giveaways and other surprises.

Info: Arrive, grab a name tag, and settle in for an evening of connection and conversation.

Info: Photonics is rapidly moving from lab to market, powering AI, healthcare, sensing, and secure communications. This event brings together experts across sectors to explore growth, challenges, and opportunities in photonics for computing, biotechnology, and scalable manufacturing. Rather than a traditional panel, the program features short, focused SME talks (5–7 minutes each), followed by rotating small-group discussions. This format keeps content concise, maximizes SME exposure, and offers attendees more direct, engaging Q&A time.

Info: Continue the conversation, connect with speakers, and expand your local network.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Capital Factory, 701 Brazos Street, Austin, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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