Photonics embraces the science and technology of light: its interaction with matter and the technology for its generation, manipulation, transmission and detection. Photonics research is revolutionising our lives like the preceding electronic and digital revolutions. Applications of photonics are diverse from communications and entertainment systems in homes to uses in biology, quantum computation, medicine, environmental sensing, green technologies and many other aspects of our everyday lives. Examples include the near-instantaneous transmission around the globe of voice, video and data on lightwaves, laser scanners reading bar codes on everything such as goods in a supermarket to luggage in airports, and surgeons utilizing lasers in surgery rather than scalpels.

Despite the ubiquitous penetration of photonics, challenges remain, be they at the level of applications where, for example, improvements are continuously sought to optical telecommunications equipment, solar cells, and optical biosensors; or at the level of fundamentals where, for example, greater understanding is sought on how light interacts with matter at extreme time and spatial scales or on how quantum states of light can be formed and utilised. To meet such challenges, the University of Ottawa established the world-class Centre for Research in Photonics (CRPuO) founded on strengths within our Faculties of Engineering and Science.