Applied Photonics Award: Sarah Hutter Honored for Ultrabroadband Laser Breakthrough

Pictured: Sarah Hutter, Technical Project Leader at Menhir Photonics with her award (Credit: Fraunhofer Institute IOF)

We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that our very own Sarah Hutter, Technical Project Leader, has won the prestigious Best Dissertation prize at the Applied Photonics Awards!

Organised by the Fraunhofer Institute IOF, this €3,000 award recognises Sarah’s groundbreaking doctoral thesis from the University of Konstanz: “Ultrabroadband femtosecond technology with maximum stability.” For us at Menhir Photonics, this is more than just a prize; it’s a validation of the incredible talent we’re building our future around.

“I was so happy when I heard the news,” says Sarah, who joined the Menhir Photonics team just four months ago. “It’s a huge recognition to see that my research is not only important for the scientific community, but that it also has a really big, real-world impact.”

Sarah’s research tackles a critical industry challenge: how to build ultra-precise, highly stable laser systems. Her true breakthrough lies in creating universal guidelines for designing these systems, essentially providing a blueprint that can be tailored to fit almost any application, rather than focusing on a single laser model.

“Following these guidelines allows you to tailor ultrafast lasers to precisely match the needs of the intended application,” Sarah explains. This means her work has huge implications across sectors like quantum technologies, biomedicine, metrology, and fundamental scientific research.

We’re so excited to have this expertise on our team. In her current role, Sarah serves as a Technical Project Leader, expertly bridging the gap between R&D, project management, and client communication. “It’s so much fun,” she notes. “It’s interesting to see where the lasers are being used, and it’s exciting to be part of this journey.”

The Applied Photonics Award, and the nod from the application-oriented experts at Fraunhofer IOF, confirms the immediate practical value of Sarah’s work. Her insights are already benefiting Menhir Photonics’ customers and pushing our technology forward.

To learn more about her research and its real-world applications, Sarah will be presenting a detailed talk later this month in collaboration with PhotonicsNXT.