360 CARLA Health

We are pleased to invite you to a two-day event dedicated to exploring career opportunities in photonics and its vital role in healthcare innovation. This year’s 360 CARLA Health Career Symposium Brussels brings together students, researchers, and professionals from across academia, industry, and entrepreneurship, with a rich program featuring career talks, soft skills workshops, and networking opportunities. The symposium will be co-located with the B-PHOT Student Chapter’s annual Light Night Photonics event.

When and where:

• 22 April 2025, 17:00 CEST–Pilar Box, VUB, Brussels & Online
• 23 April 2025, 16:00 CEST–LIC Learning & Innovation Center, ULB-VUB, Brussels & Online

Explore the program below.

• 17:30 - 18:00 | Networking
• 18:00 - 18:10 | Opening Remarks, B-PHOT Student Chapter
• 18:10 - 18:50 | Career in health and health in career: Biophotonics, Prof. David Sampson, Consultant in Innovation,
  Optics and Photonics, Perth, Australia and Emeritus Professor, University of Surrey, UK
• 19:00 - 19:40 | Celebrating 65 years of nonlinear-optics research and its (biomedical) applications, Prof. Dr. Ir. Nathalie Vermeulen, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
• 19:40 - 20:20 | Science Communication for All, Professor John Dudley, Professor of Physics, Université Marie et Louis Pasteur and Institut Universitaire de France, France
• 20:20 - 20:30 | Closing Remarks, B-PHOT Student Chapter
• 20:30 | Networking (Bar Pilar)

16:00-16:30 | Registration and Networking, Food and drinks

16:30-16:35 | Opening & Agenda overview, Astghik Chalyan, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

16:35-16:55 | Multifunctional optofluidic chips for biosensing at B-PHOT, Prof. Dr. Ir. Heidi Ottevaere, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

16:55-17:20 | Biophotonics: Photonics in Health, Biotech and Medicine – what are you waiting for?, Prof. David Sampson, Consultant in Innovation, Optics and Photonics, Perth, Australia and Emeritus Professor, University of Surrey, UK

17:20-18:00 | MSPE Spectrum: Alumni Testimonials Panel

Moderator: Dr. Ir. Mehdi 'Arash' Feizpour, Postdoc Researcher, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

Panellists:

• Prof. Dr. Ir. Francis Berghmans, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
• Dr. Ir. Birgit Morlion, HealthTech Innovation and Valorisation Strategy Manager, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
• Ir. Adrien T'Kint, System Engineer, Perseus Biomics, Belgium

18:00-18:05 | Group picture - LIC theatre
18:05-19:00 | Networking session: Mentor-Mentee Mixer, Food and drinks

19:00-19:40 | Applications of Photonics in Health

• Dr.Ir. Jasper Van Hoorick, CEO, BIO INX, Belgium
• Margarit Khachatryan, Dentist, Eurocare Dental Center, Belgium
• Dr. Tigran Dadalyan, Liquid Crystal R&D Engineer, Azalea Vision
• Dr. Aina Fitó Parera, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Antwerp

19:40-20:10 | Master Your Future: Photonics & Biomedical Engineering

• Prof. Dr. Ir. Heidi Ottevaere, Programme Director MSc in Photonics Engineering VUB-UGent, Belgium
• Prof. Dr. Ir. Johan Stiens, Programme Director MSc in Biomedical Engineering VUB-UGent, Belgium

20:10-20:25 | Science outreach with UNESCO – Initiatives for Health, Professor John Dudley, Université Marie et Louis Pasteur and Institut Universitaire de France, France
20:25-20:30 | Closing remarks, Astghik Chalyan, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
20:30-21:30 | Networking session: Mentor-Mentee Mixer, Food and drinks