Next Generation Optical Fibers: Hollow Core or Multicore—Where and When?

Dr. David Hillerkuss is a prominent expert in optical networking and communications technology, currently serving as a key innovator within Nokia. His work focuses on developing modern, efficient network infrastructures to support the "AI Era". 

Professional Roles & Affiliations

• Nokia: Following the planned acquisition of Infinera by Nokia, Hillerkuss is an integral part of the combined optical networking leadership.
• Infinera: He previously held significant roles at Infinera, where he moderated industry-shaping webinars and drove standards for optical networks.
• Industry Leadership: He is a frequent moderator and speaker for Optica (formerly OSA) webinar series, such as "Optical Networks toward 2030" (ON2030), focusing on high-speed optics like 1.6T ZR/ZR+.
• Academic Background: He earned his doctorate at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), where he specialized in high-capacity optical transmission systems. 

Key Contributions & Awards

• World Record Transmission: He was part of the team that achieved a 32.5 Tbit/s Nyquist WDM transmission using a single laser, a milestone in spectral efficiency.
• IOWN Global Forum Contributor Award: Recognized in May 2025 for his work on energy efficiency and sustainability in technology working groups.
• Charles Kao Award (2015): Received the IEEE Communications Society award for the Best Optical Communications & Networking Paper.
• Research Areas: His extensive publication record covers OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing), silicon modulators, and CV-QKD (Continuous-Variable Quantum Key Distribution). 

2018 OSA Ambassador Jelena Pesic is a research engineer with NOKIA Bell Labs, based in Paris, France. After receiving a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from the faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Belgrade in Serbia, she completed a 6 month internship with the engineering school of Telecom Bretagne, located in Brest, France. This involved working on the optical access network, GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) under the supervision of profs. Annie Gravey and Philippe Gravey. This rich experience encouraged her passion for research and subsequent enrolment into optics.

Jelena then completed her PhD in the subject of proactive restoration of backbone optical networks, with the French operator Orange Labs, under the supervision of Esther Le Rouzic and prof. Laurent Dupont. In recognition of this work, she received the award of best paper at the conference ONDM2011 (Optical Network Design and Modelling)
Following her PhD, she carried out two postdoctoral studies. During the first of these, she worked for INRIA (French National Research Institute) on the European project SASER, designing MAC layer for TWIN optical networks. During the second, she worked with Telecom Bretagne.

Jelena’s current position with Nokia Bell Labs affords her the opportunity to be part of future product innovation, as well as several European projects like SENDATE and  ORCHESTRA.  She has served as a technical committee member for OSA and IEEE international conferences, reviewed articles submitted for peer-review and accepted invitations to write and publish articles at various international worldwide conferences.

Maxime Droques, PhD, is a French engineer and researcher specializing in submarine optical transmissions and nonlinear optics. He currently serves as a Department Head at Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), where he has been based in the Calais and Orléans regions. 

Professional Background

• Education: He earned his PhD from the University of Lille 1 (Sciences and Technologies) between 2010 and 2013.
• Current Role: Head of Department at ASN, a leader in the manufacturing and installation of undersea fiber optic cables. 

Key Research & Expertise

Droques has contributed to several high-impact studies in the field of photonics and fiber optics, often published in journals like Optics Letters and Optics Express. His research focuses include: 

• Modulation Instability: Investigating fourth-order dispersion in dispersion-oscillating fibers.
• Optical Measurements: Developing simple methods for measuring the zero-dispersion wavelength in optical fibers.
• Advanced Fiber Physics: Researching complex wave phenomena such as Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou recurrences and Raman amplification in fiber systems.
• Collaborations: He frequently collaborates with researchers from the Laboratoire PhLAM (Physics of Lasers, Atoms, and Molecules)

Dr. Peng Li is a core technical leader and researcher at Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company (YOFC), where he focuses on advanced optical fiber technology. 

He joined YOFC in 2014 and currently works within the State Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber and Cable Manufacture Technology. His work is frequently cited in the context of next-generation communication infrastructure, particularly Hollow-Core Fiber (HCF). 

Key Research & Contributions

• Hollow-Core Fiber (HCF) Development: Dr. Li is a primary researcher in HCF technology, which guides light through air rather than glass to achieve lower latency and higher power handling.
• Quantum Communication: He has co-authored groundbreaking research on the coexistence of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and high-power classical communications over 100+ km of hollow-core fiber.
• Novel Fiber Designs: His expertise includes modeling and developing Space-Division Multiplexing (SDM) fibers and anti-resonant hollow-core fibers for high-capacity optical transport networks.
• Industry Leadership: He serves as a panelist and speaker at major global industry events, such as the Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC). 

Jeremie Renaudier is a prominent optical communications researcher and currently serves as the Research Department Head at Nokia Bell Labs in France. He is a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff specializing in optical Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) transmission systems. 

Professional Roles and Impact

• Research Leadership: He leads research at Bell Labs focused on advanced optical fiber transmissions, including high-speed Data Center Interconnect (DCI) technologies, Quantum Secure communications, and optical satellite communications.
• Technical Achievements: Renaudier has been instrumental in setting several multi-Terabit/s transmission records. His work covers long-haul and ultra-long-haul transmissions at data rates ranging from 100 Gb/s to over 1 Tb/s.
• Awards: He was a recipient of the Bell Labs President's Award in 2010 as part of the team that developed the 100Gb/s Coherent WDM Interface, recognized for its significant business and technical impact. 

Education and Background

• PhD: Received his doctorate from Telecom Paris in 2006, where his thesis focused on optical non-linear effects in semiconductor devices.
• Master's: Earned an M.S. in optical communications and networks from Telecom Bretagne in 2002. 

Research Focus

His extensive publication record on Google Scholar and other academic platforms highlights key areas of expertise: 

• Coherent Detection & DSP: Developing digital signal processing for advanced modulation formats.
• Quantum Key Distribution (QKD): Recent research includes the coexistence of classical and quantum signals in fiber-optic systems.
• Fiber Impairment Mitigation: Efficiently managing optical non-linearities and phase noise to extend transmission distances. 

Naoaki Yamanaka  is a prominent Japanese engineer and academic, currently serving as a Project Professor at Keio University and the 101st President of the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE). He is a leading expert in high-speed switching systems, optical networks, and the development of "Beyond 5G" (6G) technologies

Professional Background

• Academic Career: He graduated from the Keio University Faculty of Engineering with B.E., M.E., and Ph.D. degrees (1981–1991). He became a full professor at Keio in 2004 and has held various leadership roles, including Director of the Keio Leading-edge Laboratory of Science and Technology.
• Industry Experience: Before his full-time academic role, he spent over 20 years at Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), where he was a Distinguished Technical Member focusing on broadband ISDN and Tb/s electrical/optical backbone switching.
• Current Leadership: As the President of IEICE, he oversees one of Japan's largest technical professional organizations, with over 22,000 members

Key Research Areas

Professor Yamanaka’s research focuses on creating a "Smart Society" through advanced network architectures. His major interests include: 

• Beyond 5G & 6G: Exploring 8 key features for future networks: broadband, energy saving, low latency, flexibility, efficiency, safety, autonomy, and deployability.
• Smart Cities & IoT: Developing systems where vehicles (autonomous cars, bicycles) and infrastructure are interconnected to optimize energy use and traffic flow.
• Optical Networking: Advancing optical IP networks and GMPLS (Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching) router systems.
• Smart Grids: Researching distributed energy matching control to reduce energy costs and peak load shifting using electric vehicle storage. 

Achievements & Recognition

• IEEE Fellow: Recognized for his contributions to high-speed switching and networking.
• Patents & Publications: He holds over 170 patents and has published hundreds of peer-reviewed journal articles and international conference papers.
• Books: Author of High-Performance Backbone Network Technology, a key text in the field of optical science and engineering.