Saif Wakeel
Runner Up
What encouraged you to submit your application to the 2024 Postgraduate Research Publication of the Year?
The Postgraduate Publication Competition is more than just a contest—it’s a valuable opportunity to test how effectively you can communicate your research to the public. What motivated me most to submit my entry was the impact and significance of my own work. The entire submission process itself was a testament to excellence and a rewarding experience.
What inspired you to choose the subject of your paper?
The current challenges and need for scaling the photonics packaging inspired me to fabricate advanced micro-optics components and demonstrating surface-assembled photonics packaging.
What’s your paper about and how did you prepare for it? What role did research excellence play in your approach?
Photonics is a really important technology that we are developing at Tyndall, there is a bottleneck on how these photonics technologies can be used in real world systems. Photonics packaging helps to solve some of these issues. In this paper, we are addressing the need for ultra-compact micro-mirrors that can be used in the state of the art photonics systems. I prototyped these new types of mirrors and I have shown that how they can be scaled for very high volume applications which is important in commercialising and validating photonics technology.
The selection for Research Publication of the Year is extremely competitive. What is your advice for those aspiring for nomination next year?
- The first year lays the foundation for your entire research journey. Focus on conducting a thorough literature review, gaining hands-on training with relevant equipment, and carefully selecting your research topic. Strong research leads naturally to high-quality publications.
- There will be challenges along the way, but remember—persistence is key to success.
- Continuously compile, recompile, and analyse your data. Regularly cross-check your findings with existing literature; sometimes, we overlook the novelty in our own work until we take a closer look.
What is the single most significant support Tyndall has been able to offer you in achieving your research goals?
Tyndall has offered me support in many ways so it’s hard to select most significant one.. But I would say this place has given me a freedom of research (advanced tools training, financial support, national/international collaborations, internships etc.)