Anuradha Agarwal

Dr. Anuradha Agarwal is a Principal Research Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, affiliated with the Microphotonics Center and Materials Research Laboratory. She serves as Director of the Electronic-Photonics Packaging Materials Research Laboratory and leads the Lab for Education and Application Prototypes (LEAP). Her work bridges fundamental materials science with scalable photonic device applications.

• Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, Boston University

Dr. Agarwal’s research focuses on mid-infrared photonic sensors for chem-bio sensing and hyperspectral imaging, utilizing CMOS-compatible silicon fabrication to enable large-scale manufacturing. She pioneers sustainable microchip production through the FUTUR-IC initiative and develops education programs for integrated photonics workforce training.

Her recent publications highlight advancements in photonic couplers, metasurfaces, and self-healing materials, reflecting a strong emphasis on resource efficiency and environmental resilience in photonic technology. She has authored over 250 peer-reviewed papers and holds 17 awarded patents.

• Optica Fellow (2022)

As director of Electronic-Photonic Packaging (EPP), she explores innovative testing and packaging solutions. Her LEAP lab focuses on K-Gray workforce development, including virtual/augmented reality training tools to address skill gaps in the integrated photonics industry.