Nanophotonics is proud to support the work of early-career researchers who have made outstanding contributions to advancements in nano-optics and photonics.

Every year, we recognize the achievements of four early-career scientists in nanophotonics through our annual awards. Each winner receives a prize of 1,000 EUR and a waiver to publish their work in Nanophotonics at no cost.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Early Career Award!

Minkyung Kim
 Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Korea
For important advancements in the spin Hall effect of light and topological photonics.

“I am truly grateful and honored to receive this award. It inspires me to continue my research journey, and I look forward to contributing further to the field.”

Huan Zhao
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA
For groundbreaking research in quantum light sources and optical materials.

“This recognition inspires me to keep pushing boundaries in nanophotonics and quantum optics. I’m thankful for the support from mentors and national laboratories that made this journey possible.”

Alexander E. Ulanov
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Germany
For innovative research bridging nanophotonics and integrated photonics.

“I'm honored to receive the Nanophotonics Early Career Award. This recognition reflects the hard work of our team advancing chip-scale optical frequency comb generation and stabilization.”

Melissa Guidry
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA
For significant contributions to the integration of quantum dynamics, squeezing, and soliton physics in optical cavities.

“It’s an honor for me to receive the Nanophotonics Early Career Award, among the scientists who have been recognized by this award in the past. I very much appreciate Nanophotonics’ ongoing support for early career scientists in our community.”

Nominations for the 2025 award will open soon.

About the Early Career Award

We invite nominations for individuals who have significantly contributed to nanophotonics and have completed their PhD within the last five years.

Prize

Each award winner will receive:

1,000 EUR
Certificate
Waiver for publishing their work in Nanophotonics without charge (valid for 2 years).

Nominee Requirements:

PhD completion within the last 5 years
No prior publication in Nanophotonics is required
Joint nominations are not permitted

Nominator Requirements:

Must have authored at least three papers in the field of nano-optics or photonics

Nominations

The nominator will need to provide the following details:

Nominee’s name, affiliation and primary email address
The nominator's three most recent papers published in the field of nano-optics or photonics
A one-page narrative/statement describing the nominee's contributions to the field of nanophotonics

A committee of subject experts will evaluate all submissions, and four winners will be selected.

The Review Board

Dr. Stefan Maier, Monash University, Australia (Editor-in-Chief)
Dr. Javier Aizpurua, Center for Materials Physics in San Sebastián (CSIC-UPV/EHU), Spain
Dr. Daniel Brunner, FEMTO-ST Institute, France
Dr. Jonathan Fan, Stanford University, USA
Dr. Kian Ping Loh, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Dr. Matthew A. Pelton, University of Maryland, USA
Dr. Junsuk Rho, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Korea
Dr. Giulia Tagliabue, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
Dr. Lei Zhou, Fudan University, China
Dr. Jia Zhu, Nanjing University, China

Previous Winners