Yunfeng Nie

Yunfeng Nie is a Professor at Brussels Photonics (B-PHOT), Vrije Universiteit Brussel. She received her MS in optical engineering from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and her PhD in applied physics and photonics from Vrije Universiteit Brussel. During her doctoral training, she also conducted research visits at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Her research focuses on advancing optical design methodology by integrating freeform optics, physical modeling, and artificial intelligence.

Nie has made significant contributions to freeform optical design and computational imaging. She developed multi-field direct-design strategies and differentiable ray-tracing frameworks that enable compact, high-performance imaging systems beyond classical paraxial assumptions. Building on these foundations, she introduced AI-assisted and end-to-end optical design approaches that incorporate imaging performance and manufacturability constraints directly into trainable models, transforming traditional trial-and-error workflows into predictive and reproducible processes. Her methods have been experimentally demonstrated in a wide range of systems, including miniature microscopes, spectrometers, projection and near-eye systems, and biomedical imaging platforms, with successful translation through collaborations with academic and industrial partners.

She is active in the optics community and has supervised more than 10 PhD and Master’s students. Her work has been recognized by several international distinctions, including the Kevin P. Thompson Optical Design Innovator Award, the Michael Kidger Memorial Scholarship, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s Award.