About CLEO

The 2021 CLEO Conference and Exhibition:
Engaging a Global Audience with an All-Virtual Format

CLEO, the world-renowned conference for laser science and photonics applications, will be presented in an all-virtual format, 09 – 14 May 2021. This approach will accommodate speakers and attendees from across the globe with live and on-demand content. CLEO is co-sponsored by the American Physical Society, IEEE Photonics Society and The Optical Society (OSA).

The conference will feature over 2,000 technical presentations of invited and tutorial speakers and contributed talks, plus Special Symposia, Workshops, Applications & Technology Topical Reviews, Short Courses, special events and four distinguished plenary speakers. A virtual exhibition will include industry-focused sessions and companies showcasing market-ready technologies in all areas of lasers and photonics.

“The CLEO Conference has not only been at the forefront of excellence in optics and photonics research, but is also striving for inclusivity initiatives to encourage a more diverse audience,” said Tara Fortier, one of the six CLEO General Chairs. “We recognize that the value of offering this innovative conference virtually is not just for participant safety, but also to promote greater accessibility for members of our global community. Improving broad and diverse participation is central to the vitality of our community as we continue to encourage students, early career professionals, researchers and business leaders to engage and exchange in CLEO's groundbreaking content.”

The five plenary speakers, representing academia and industry, will address advancements in quantum information science and technologies, quantum computing and optical communications. 

In his talk titled “From Quantum Foundations to Quantum Communications and Back,” Nicolas Gisin, Professor Emeritus, University of Geneva, will describe the evolution of quantum information science from Bell inequalities to commercial Quantum Key Distribution and Quantum Random Number Generator chips. His talk will take place Monday, 10 May 2021.

CLEO strives to be a diverse and inclusive conference that fosters community, vitality and openness. The conference introduces a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Talk this year. Stefanie K. Johnson, author of Inclusify: Harnessing the power of uniqueness and belonging to build innovative teams, will demonstrate the nature of unconscious bias and then provide  practices that interrupt bias and improve decision-making. Her talk will take place Friday, 14 May.

Margaret Murnane, Director, STROBE, Fellow, JILA, Professor, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA will discuss advances in high harmonic light sources in her plenary presentation titled “Harnessing Attosecond Quantum Technologies.” The ability to harness and control short wavelength light has generated powerful new tools for x-ray imaging, manipulating quantum materials and designing more efficient nanoscale devices. Murnane’s talk is scheduled for Friday, 14 May.

The plenary talk titled “Silicon Photonic Quantum Computing,” by Jeremy O'Brien, CEO, PsiQuantum, USA, will highlight the company’s approach to fault tolerant quantum computing. PsiQuantum is poised to develop the world’s first useful quantum computer using silicon photonic chips to process quantum information with single photons. His talk will take place Monday, 10 May.

Many applications of optical communications beyond conventional fiber systems are emerging that harness photonic technologies, especially using photonic-integrated-circuits. Alan Eli Willner, Professor, University of Southern California, USA, will explore advances with optical fiber technologies in his talk titled “Optical Communications: Innovations and Applications Abound.” His talk will take place Monday, 10 May.

CLEO’s technical presentations cover the range of emerging technologies in laser science, quantum, biophotonics, telecommunications, advanced imaging and more. 

Register in advance to receive the web link to access the conference.

Future Dates