Professor Jennifer Hastie, Director of Strathclyde’s Institute of Photonics has earned a place within the international list of 100 leaders in the scientific field.
Professor Hastie, who has been head of the Institute since 2022, is included in the 2025 Photonics 100 list, published by Electro Optics magazine, which celebrates the achievements of 100 leading individuals driving innovation in photonics and optical technology worldwide.
She forms part of a list, drawn from 19 nations of scientists, engineers, and business leaders, whose work is reshaping sectors from aerospace and telecommunications to quantum technologies and healthcare. The Photonics 100 was selected by a panel of industry experts.
Photonics is a discipline which spans physics and engineering and has been described as the science of light.
Professor Hastie said:
“I am proud and pleased to have been chosen for the Photonics 100. The sector is rapidly growing globally, in influence, innovation and stature, and the Institute of Photonics is playing a significant role in areas such as advanced lasers, photonics for sensing and quantum technologies, neurotechnology, AI, and optical communications, along with our partners at the Strathclyde-hosted Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics. I look forward to us continuing to drive progress in technology, for the benefit of global society.”
Professor Hastie heads an Institute of 40 staff and more than 30 postgraduate students. In her career, she has published more than 60 articles and research papers, and her research has a main focus on optically-pumped semiconductor and solid-state lasers for applications in metrology and quantum technology.
In 2023, she was elected to the Fellowship of Optica, “‘for leadership in the photonics and quantum technology community and pioneering technical contributions in the area of narrow-linewidth lasers.” She is also an elected senior member of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).