REPORT DAY OF PHOTONICS


‘At the moment I’m learning how to use different types of soſtware that can help me analyse data better’


we’re packaging, while also making sure that the power output remains the same, which I really enjoy and keeps the job interesting. In the future, I would like to explore more on the designing part because during my Master’s I was also designing some of the optical parts. I’m still in the learning phase, and at the moment I’m learning how to use different types of software that can help me analyse data better. So this keeps me motivated, to be able to work on my software skills to not just get the data I want but also will give me the expertise and skills to pursue the design aspects of this role in the future – I will be able to make decisions that are logical, not just out of instinct.


all incredibly raw and honest about their experiences. It was so validating to see. It’s important to have networks of women and I started a society at university called Women and Engineering, Science and Technology (WEST). It’s important to have other women visible in the same space as you.


What’s the most important thing for you in your future career? If you get deeper into any subject, it always becomes more creative. Otherwise, you are just doing what has been done before and you are not thinking outside of the box.


Kiranti Krishan, photonics graduate engineer, Rockley Photonics


When did you first hear about photonics and how did this lead you to what you’re doing now? When I was studying for my bachelor’s degree in telecommunication engineering,


www.electrooptics.com | @electrooptics


we had a module on fibre optics. So that’s when my fascination started about how signals travel using light and how the information is passed from one point to another. So I started looking for master’s programmes in fibre optics. Photonics then came into my search list, which led me to starting my Master’s in Photonics on an Erasmus scholarship. During this time, I studied subjects such as semiconductors, lasers, data transmission and so on, and how we can use them in different applications, such as the medical industry. That’s the reason I chose my master’s project to be on biosensors. It was something which really fascinated me – that I can measure, for example, glucose, blood pressure, things like that, with this teeny tiny device, and I can get the results in real time. I don’t have to wait for days for the results to come back. That’s when I noticed what Rockley was doing. I’m motivated and enjoying my work here.


What about the job excites you? At the moment, I am in the packaging department. We are essentially assembling wafers. When I first started I didn’t know we could assemble chips on a wafer level. So that is really cool. There are a lot of different types of designs coming up that


Based on your experience, how can we get more young people interested in engineering? I think that if I was introduced to more of these subjects during my Bachelor’s, I would have known at an earlier stage that I wanted to pursue photonics. I think if we can include more courses in our academic curriculum, which include practical examples of how, for example, light travels, then it would make it clearer to students that this is in fact a whole field one can study and enjoy. In terms of the industry, I think it would


be good to relay to students and young people how photonics is used in society – for example the types of products and applications involving photonics, and how these products impact everyday life. I think this would motivate students to want to pursue photonics study or careers. Another factor affecting young people is


visas. I come from Pakistan, and there are a lot of people in Pakistan and surrounding countries with technical backgrounds who really want to pursue engineering careers. But they need to be sponsored for a visa in the UK, which can be a barrier because the process is quite challenging and complicated. If this process was made easier, it would attract more talent from abroad.


g November 2022 Electro Optics 9


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