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Li Innovation Prize (OFC)

Foundation

Li Innovation Prize (OFC)

Be recognized for research excellence at OFC.

Program Prize

US$3,000

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The Tingye Li Innovation Prize is presented to the author of an exceptional accepted paper to OFC.


Application Information

How To Apply

Submit a paper to OFC and opt into the competition. Learn more on the conference website.

Applicant Requirements
  • Have an accepted paper to OFC or a Post Deadline Paper (PDP) and must have "opted in" during the submission process
  • Be a current early career member who has received a terminal degree within the last five years or will receive a terminal degree by the application deadline.
  • Be responsible for and exhibit innovative ideas in their research
  • Agree to let the Optica Foundation use their picture, name and story in program marketing opportunities.
Application Requirements

The submitting author must opt-in to the competition during the regular paper submission process.

If you have questions, please contact apply@optica.org.


2025 Recipient

Masanori Nakamura
Masanori Nakamura
NTT Network Innovation Laboratories

Masanori is recognized for his paper “628 Gb/s Net Bitrate IMDD Transmission Using Ultra-Broadband InP-DHBT-Based Electrical Mixer With Upper-Sideband Gain-Enhanced Mode”


Past Recipients

2024 WINNER
Josuke Ozaki
NTT Innovative Devices, Japan

for Net-1.8 Tbps/λ Transmission Enabled by C+L-band InP-based Coherent Driver Modulator

2023 WINNER
Benjamin Crockett
INRS, Canada

for his work on Enhancing the Quantum Correlation of Biophotons via Coherent Energy Redistribution. 

2022 WINNER
Hesham Sakr
Lumenisity Limited, UK

for Hollow Core NANFs with Five Nested Tubes and Record Low Loss at 850, 1060, 1300 and 1625nm 

2021 WINNER
Nicolas Fontaine
Nokia Bell Labs, USA

for his work on optical mode sorter that converts an optical beam consisting of a bunch of pixels into thousands of Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) modes

2020 WINNER
Di Che
Nokia Bell Labs, USA

for his work on Single-Channel Direct Detection Reception beyond 1 Tb/s

2019 WINNER
Eric Numkam Fokoua
University of Southampton, UK

for his work on Polarization Effects on Thermally Stable Latency in Hollow- Core Photonic Bandgap Fibres 

2018 WINNER
Benjamin Lee
IBM TJ Watson Research Center, USA

for his work on FEC-Free 60-Gb/s Silicon Photonic Link Using SiGe-Driver ICs Hybrid-Integrated with Photonics-Enabled CMOS

2017 WINNER
Tetsuya Hayashi
Sumitomo Electric, Japan

for his work on 125-μm-cladding Coupled Multi-core Fiber with Ultra-low Loss of 0.158 dB/km and Record-low Spatial Mode Dispersion of 6.1 ps/km1/2.

2016 WINNER
Kohki Shibahara
NTT, Japan

for his work on Dense SDM (12-Core × 3-Mode) Transmission Over 527 km With 33.2-ns Mode-Dispersion Employing Low-Complexity Parallel MIMO Frequency-Domain Equalization

2015 WINNER
Tae Joon Seok
University of California, Berkeley, USA

for his work silicon photonic switches


Contributors

This honor is endowed by Alliance Fiber Optic Products, Inc., AT&T, Optica, the IEEE Photonics Society, the IEEE Communications Society, Thorlabs, Inc., the Li family and supporters of the Tingye Li Memorial Fund.


About the Endowment

Established in 2013, the Li Innovation Prize honors the global impact Tingye Li made to laser science and optical fiber communications.


Selection Committee

The recipient is selected by the OFC conference chairs.

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