Profile
Real-World Focus at the Photon Factory
The ultrafast spectroscopy and micromachining lab at the University of Auckland connects fundamental science with industry applications.
Matheus Vargas (left), former Photon Factory student and now chief science officer of spinoff company Orbis Diagnostics, with lab founder Cather Simpson. [University of Auckland]
The Photon Factory in the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, has always been a bit different from many labs. When founder Cather Simpson arrived in New Zealand from the United States, she discovered that in her new home country, there were no instrument grants—she had to make a business case for the costly laser system that she needed. So from its opening in 2010, the lab was conceived as an outward-facing facility with the mission of supporting New Zealand industries through exploiting ultrashort laser pulses.
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