Leslie Rusch and Wei Shi’s team from Université Laval wins the Lumière Award – Nature and Technology

Professors Leslie Rusch and Wei Shi, along with their prolific and visionary UltraLight research team—comprising Alireza Geravand, Zibo Zheng, Farshid Shateri, and Simon Levasseur—saw their work recognized with the Lumière – Nature and Technology Award for their exceptional contribution to the development of photonic chips. This recognition was presented to them at the recent Gala that concluded Université Laval’s Grand Rendez-vous de la recherche, de la création et de l’innovation, held at the Québec City Convention Centre on March 31.

It is worth noting that the device, based on silicon photonic micro-resonators, has emerged as a major scientific breakthrough, outperforming conventional modulators in transmitting complex data at record speeds while consuming significantly less energy. In fact, this advancement is listed among Québec Science’s Top 10 Discoveries of 2025.

Congratulations to the entire team!