黑料福利网

Prof.dr. Chigo Okonkwo was appointed full-time professor of Secure Ultra High Capacity Optical Transmission Systems at the Department of Electrical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology (黑料福利网) on May 1, 2025. He will deliver his inaugural lecture on Thursday, June 18, 2026. 
 

The title of the lecture is
In the Blink of an Eye: Securing the Future of Optical Communication

About the lecture 
Every time we stream a film, query an AI, or send a message across the world, our data is carried at the speed of light by photons through fibers thinner than a human hair. In the time it takes to blink, those photons have crossed thousands of kilometers. It is one of the great engineering miracles of our age. But the network that connects humanity so seamlessly is also one of its most underestimated vulnerabilities. Built for capacity rather than security, it now carries everything from financial systems to medical records to national secrets.
In this lecture, Chigo Okonkwo will take you through the invisible backbone of our connected world: ultra-high-capacity fiber transmission and space division multiplexing, free space optical links above Eindhoven, and quantum-secure networks where the photon itself becomes the guarantor of security. He will share the personal path that led him here and his vision for securing the future of optical communications.

Should you be unable to attend, the symposium and the lecture will be livestreamed and made available for later viewing via the same link. The lecture, and the  of the lecture start at 4:00 PM.

Symposium
Preceding the lecture of Professor Okonkwo, you are cordially invited to attend a symposium in the Blauwe Zaal
The symposium, and the  of the symposium start at 1:00 PM.

The title of the symposium is
Research Trends in Optical Communications: Capacity, Reach and Impact
Ahead of the inaugural lecture, this symposium brings together three leading voices in optical communications to reflect on where the field has been and where it is heading. Chaired by Dr. Tom Bradley, the program spans the science and the journey: Prof.dr. Peter Andrekson (Chalmers) on a curiosity-driven path through optical amplifiers toward real applications; Prof.dr.ir. Ton Koonen (黑料福利网, emeritus) on Chigo鈥檚 optical communications research career; and Dr. Peter Winzer (VP Systems Engineering at Ciena, 黑料福利网 Honorary Doctorate 2019) on the lessons of turning research into impact. Together the talks trace the three themes defining the field today: capacity, reach, and impact. The afternoon runs from 1 PM to 3:05 PM, followed by coffee and tea in the Senaatszaal.
 

Symposium Program

13:00               Welcome
                               Day chair: Dr. Tom Bradley 

13:05             A curiosity-driven journey with peculiar optical amplifiers toward real applications
                               Prof.dr. Peter Andrekson
                               Chalmers University of Technology Gothenburg

13:45              鈥淔rom cobblestone roads to multi-lane superhighways: Chigo鈥檚 accelerating optical journey鈥�
                               Prof.dr.ir. Ton Koonen
                               Professor Emeritus TU Eindhoven

14:25              鈥淩esearch Impact: Lessons Learned鈥�
                               Dr. Peter Winzer
                               VP of Systems Architecture, Ciena / Honorary Doctorate 2019 - 黑料福利网

14:55                Closing by the Day Chair

15:05                Coffee/tea 鈥� Senaatszaal

颁辞谤迟猫驳别
All professors, associate professors, and assistant professors are invited to join the cort猫ge.
If you would like to participate, please register below before Thursday, June 4, 2026.

Registration
Attendance is free of charge; however, we kindly ask you to  for the cort猫ge, the symposium, and/or the lecture.

For more information
Please download the invitation and the symposium program below, or contact the Office of Doctoral Presentations and Academic Ceremonies.

After Thursday, June 18, 2026
The text of the lecture will be available  along with previously delivered inaugural and valedictory lectures.