The Centre for Doctoral Training in Photonic Integration and Advanced Data Storage CDT held its second annual Conclave on 21 and 22 June at the Radisson Blue Hotel, Belfast. The 2016 CDT cohort of students organised and managed the event, impressing the Centre’s industry partners and all who attended. 

Attracting over sixty attendees, this successful and vibrant meeting brought current CDT students and academics together with representatives from the Centre’s impressive industrial partners such as Seagate Technology, Compound Semiconductor Technologies Global, IQE, Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology, FEI, Stryker and Yelo, as well as senior officials from both Universities. The conference was also supported by attendance from Mat Wasley, Innovate UK’s Knowledge Transfer Network Manager for Photonics, enabling key strategic networking links for both academic and industrial partners.

The conference programme offered both academic and industrial keynotes, delivered by the esteemed Professor of Nanostructured Materials, Director of the Sheffield NanoLAB/RCUK Basic Technology programme in Nanorobotics and Chair of the UK NanoFIB, Beverley J Inkson (Sheffield University) and Eindhoven-based FEI Application Development Scientist, Dr Hans Mulders, respectively.

The Conclave was sponsored by the Institute of Physics Ireland (IOPI) and we were delighted that Dr Liz Conlon, IOPI Education and Outreach Advisor, was present CDT students Liam Wright and Jennifer Mackel, winners of the CDT poster session, with their prizes. 

We were thrilled that many of the incoming 2017 cohort of students, were also able to attend, giving them an early opportunity to immerse themselves in the CDT environment and enhance their understanding about the programme.