Yuanqiu Luo
Futurewei Technologies Inc, USAFor significant contributions to the research and development of optical access networks, particularly the standardization of broadband optical access technologies.
As a child, Yuanqiu Luo was fascinated by her small kaleidoscope. She could spend hours turning it slowly, watching simple bits of glass and mirrors transform into patterns of light and color. What amazed her was the mystery: how such a small tube could create designs that felt infinite, and how a tiny change in angle could completely alter what she saw.
That childhood wonder stayed with Yuanqiu. The kaleidoscope was her first lesson in how light, reflection, and geometry could combine to create something delicate and powerful. Later, as she learned about optics and physics, she realized that the same principles of light manipulation apply to the field of optical communications. She explains, “Instead of colored glass, we use lasers; instead of mirrors, we use waveguides and fibers; instead of patterns, we transmit information that connects people worldwide.”
Today, when she works on high-speed optical access networks, Yuanqiu still feels echoes of that early joy with the kaleidoscope. Each innovation in optical communications is like a new pattern. The curiosity sparked by turning that little tube of mirrors has grown into a career pursuit.
Yuanqiu received her PhD in Electrical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA, where her dissertation focused on optical access networks. After graduation, she worked in industrial research, exploring advanced technologies in this field. Over time, she realized that while research was exciting, what motivated her most was seeing those innovations translated into real-world deployment at scale.
That realization led Yuanqiu to move to Futurewei Technologies Inc, USA, where she could focus on international standards. Standards provide the essential bridge between research and practice, and they ensure that innovations are not only technically sound but also manufacturable, interoperable, and ready for global adoption.
The focus of her research is on optical access networks. Specifically, she works on designing high-speed optical access systems that can deliver broadband services to a wide range of users: residential households, business environments, and industrial applications. These networks form the last-mile connection that enables society to access cloud services, streaming, remote work, smart factories, and emerging digital applications. She shares, “As of today, we already have commercial products that can provide up to 50 Gb/s access rates to end users. The next generation of systems, which the community is actively developing, will target around 200 Gb/s to support the ever-growing demand from AI-driven services, immersive applications, and industry digitalization.”
The biggest challenge Yuanqiu faces is achieving high performance using cost-effective components. In a research lab, it’s always possible to build an impressive prototype with expensive devices under controlled conditions. But that’s not the reality of optical access networks. With several billion devices already deployed worldwide, any new solution must be manufacturable at scale, affordable enough for mass adoption, and robust enough to operate in very different environments.
That’s why her work on international standards is so important. Standards provide the common foundation that allows innovations to move beyond the lab and become real-world solutions used across the globe. By contributing to these standards, she ensures that the technologies her group designs are not just high-performing but also practical and accessible. International standards bring the benefits of optical access to billions of users worldwide.
Outside of her work in the lab, she enjoys playing ping-pong. On the surface, ping pong seems like a fun, fast-paced game, but she finds it closely reflects her approach to research. In ping pong, every rally requires precision, timing, and adaptability. You don’t always win by hitting the hardest shot. You win by reading your opponent, anticipating the spin, and placing the ball at precisely the right angle. It’s about making small, smart adjustments until the opening appears.
That’s also her favorite part of the research process: the moment when patient effort and many small trials suddenly align into a clear breakthrough. In her work on optical access networks, she often spends weeks running experiments, tuning parameters, and analyzing data. This can feel like a long rally back and forth without a clear winner. But then comes the turning point: she sees the promising solution, the ‘great shot,’ that allows high performance with practical, low-cost components. When everything comes together, that feeling of discovery is as exhilarating as hitting the winning point in ping pong.
Photo courtesy of Yuanqiu Luo
