I always loved science, but some incidents helped me in cementing my path to photonics. During my high school years in India, my father used to take me to a monthly science gathering called “Chai and Why,” where the scientists explained physics in common terms and demonstrated it via experiments. This led me to adore physics and the laws of nature. In my undergraduate studies, we had a class called “Analytical Instrumentation” where we studied various sources of light and associated detectors. My interest was spiked in optics while we were studying the workings of an MRI machine, where a large magnetic wave helped in orienting the spin of the protons. After joining the master’s program in optics at the University of Rochester, I learned about the possibility of doing large-scale optics on a tiny chip. I read a paper on integrated photonics by Richard A. Soref, and decided to do my PhD in photonics.

At the moment, I am bringing my PhD research into a commercial venture. I started the company while doing my PhD and have now been working full-time as the CEO. We are developing next-generation fiber-to-chip packaging equipment that is 10 times faster than current versions.

My greatest accomplishment so far has been to work in a technology that can create a global impact in the world by reducing power consumption of a data center.

Navigating how to start a company as an international student while doing research has been very challenging. I used all available resources around the university, as well as the support of colleagues and mentors. I was not afraid to ask for help when I got into this, and that has been very helpful.

Science is a field where only your mental strength matters; gender does not define how smart and innovative you are. Don’t be afraid and take risks; you will always be rewarded.

I hope by reducing the power loss in photonic chips, I can have a global environmental impact by reducing the amount of electricity used by data centers.

Juniyali Nauriyal
CEO, Photonect
Born in India / Resides in United States
Educational Background: MS in Optics, University of Rochester; PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Rochester, United States