The first-ever International Conference on Nano-, Tera-, and Bio-Photonics brought researchers from around the world to Joensuu. The new NTB-Photonics conference is planned to be held in Joensuu every two years.
The first International Conference on Nano-, Tera-, and Bio-Photonics (NTB-Photonics'26), held at the University of Eastern Finland in August, brought together 90 participants in Joensuu for a five-day conference from 17 to 21 August. The programme included five plenary talks, 26 invited talks, 31 other oral presentations and 23 poster presentations.
The conference brought together researchers from several different disciplines. The common denominator was photonics: some of the participants use light-based methods in their research, while others work on advancing the field of photonics itself and developing new methods.
“Our conference is a multidisciplinary forum that brings together researchers who use photonics as a research tool and researchers who are advancing the field of photonics itself,” says Georgy Fedorov, one of the conference organisers.
The conference topics ranged from condensed matter physics and electrodynamics to biophysics, biomedicine and quantum technologies. The plenary talks highlighted key research directions in photonics, from metamaterials and light–matter interactions to quantum light.
According to Fedorov, quantum optics and bioimaging are among the particularly interesting research directions at present. In bioimaging, researchers are developing ways to overcome the resolution limits of conventional optical imaging.
“All the topics are interesting, but if I had to highlight a few, I would first mention quantum optics and biological imaging beyond the diffraction limit,” Fedorov says.
An international research community is growing around Joensuu
NTB-Photonics'26 was the first conference in a new series. The organisers aim to hold the conference in Joensuu every two years in the future.
According to Fedorov, what also made the first conference special was that many of the keynote speakers are already collaborating with the University of Eastern Finland.
“They form a multidisciplinary research community that is now growing through the conference,” Fedorov says.
The conference was highly international. In addition to Finland, participants and speakers came from across Europe, as well as from countries including Australia, Canada, China, Japan and the United States.
Fedorov considers Joensuu a natural meeting place for the international photonics community. Alongside the city's strong research and education activities, a significant concentration of expertise in photonics has emerged. According to him, cooperation between the university and the city provides a favourable environment for the growth of fields such as photonics and advanced materials.
“Joensuu has developed into one of the world's centres of photonics,” Fedorov says.
Returning to Joensuu in 2028
In addition to the scientific programme, the five-day conference provided time for poster presentations, discussions and networking. Fedorov says that, for him, the highlight of the week was the high scientific standard of the presentations and discussions.
NTB-Photonics'26 was organised by the Department of Physics and Mathematics and the Center for Photonics Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland. The conference chairs were Polina Kuzhir, Matthieu Roussey and Harri Lipsanen. In addition to Kuzhir, the local organising committee included Sergei Malykhin, Aleksandr Saushin and Georgy Fedorov.
The conference received local support from the City of Joensuu, the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies and the University of Joensuu Foundation, as well as from several national and European research programmes and projects.
The first conference concluded with an eye already on the future: according to current plans, the next NTB-Photonics conference will be held in Joensuu in 2028.
