International Workshop

Translational Photonics Technologies for Life Sciences

Supported by Photonics4Life and Photonics4Health

Date

29–30 October 2026
Thursday – Friday
Venue

ILP-bygget, Auditorium Didaktikken (1.059)
UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø
Workshop chairs

Prof. Balpreet Singh Ahluwalia
UiT / UiO, Norway
Prof. Dalip Singh Mehta
IIT Delhi, India
Thu 29 OctFri 30 Oct

Thursday 29 October

Day 1

08:45–09:00
15 min
Arrival & registration
09:00–09:10
10 min
Welcome

Balpreet Singh Ahluwalia & Hege Windes

Session 1

Enabling Photonics Technologies

Chair: Dalip Singh Mehta

09:10–09:50
40 min
Paras Prasad · University at Buffalo, USA

Nonlinear optical imaging and Ramanomics integrating with quantum photonics and AI to advance brain research

09:50–10:20
30 min
Soumik Siddhanta · IIT Delhi, India

New directions in Raman instrumentation and data analysis

10:20–10:40
20 min
Balpreet Singh Ahluwalia · UiT / UiO, Norway

PIC4Life

10:40–11:00
20 min
Firehun Tsige Dullo · SINTEF, Norway

Low-loss, low-background aluminium oxide waveguide platform for UV–visible applications

11:00–11:30
30 min
Coffee break & group picture
11:30–12:00
30 min
Discussion

Reflection & open discussion

Facilitator: Balpreet Singh Ahluwalia

12:00–13:00
60 min
Lunch at UNN
Session 2

Photonics4Clinics

Chair: Anurag Sharma

13:00–13:30
30 min
Vivek Tandon · AIIMS New Delhi, India

Making fluorescence-guided glioma surgery accessible: an indigenous 5-ALA platform from India

13:30–14:00
30 min
Deepika Mishra · AIIMS New Delhi, India

From bench to bedside to village: what clinicians need from photonics for oral cancer screening

14:00–14:30
30 min
Dalip Singh Mehta · IIT Delhi, India

Label-free non-invasive photonics technologies for fast screening and early diagnosis of common cancers: Lab2Clinics

14:30–15:00
30 min
Discussion

Reflection & open discussion

Facilitator: Paras Prasad

15:00–15:30
30 min
Coffee break
Session 3

Photonics4AMR

Chair: Balpreet Singh Ahluwalia

15:30–15:50
20 min
Gunnar Skov Simonsen · UiT and UNN, Norway

AMR burden

15:50–16:10
20 min
Rafi Ahmad · Inland Norway University, Norway

Superbugs vs. super tech: how AI and genomics are reshaping the battle against infection and AMR

16:10–16:30
20 min
Vimarsh Awasthi · UiT, Norway

Photonics4AMR: rapid classification of AMR strains

16:30–17:00
30 min
Discussion

Reflection & open discussion

Facilitator: Rafi Ahmad

17:00
End of day 1

Friday 30 October

Day 2

Session 4

Photonics4Fertility and Nanotechnology

09:00–09:30
30 min
Sivarama Krishnan · IIT Madras, India

Unique prospects of femtosecond laser-based technologies for medicine: from lab to life

09:30–10:00
30 min
Renu John · IIT Hyderabad, India

Seeing life in 4D: quantitative phase imaging of sperm, oocytes and embryos by digital holographic microscopy

10:00–10:20
20 min
Mona Nystad · UiT and UNN, Norway

The past, present and future of assisted reproduction

10:20–10:40
20 min
Roy Ambli Dalmo · UiT, Norway

Aquaculture and fishery sciences meet nanotechnology

10:40–11:30
50 min
Discussion & coffee
Session 5

RRI, Innovation and Panel Discussion

11:30–11:45
15 min
Håkon Gustafson Giæver · Norinnova, Norway

Nordic innovation – global opportunities

11:45–12:00
15 min
Per Stromhaug · University at Buffalo, USA

Innovation ecosystem at UB

12:00–13:00
60 min
Panel

Science for Society: From Discovery to Public Value – Shaping Healthcare and Society Towards 2040

Led by Deepika Rai

Jens Hultgren Nielsen · Innovation Norway, Norway
Tove Klæboe Nilsen · Helse Nord RHF, Norway
Paras Prasad · University at Buffalo, USA
Anurag Sharma · IIT Delhi, India
Bjørn-Morten Batalden · Dean, Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT, Norway to be confirmed
13:00–14:30
90 min
Lunch
14:30–16:00
90 min
Laboratory tours, demonstrations & scientific discussions
16:00
End of workshop
Hosted by

Department of Physics and Technology
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Programme

Subject to change
Last updated 21 October 2026