David Richardson

Professor David Richardson, FREng, FRS, is a leading authority in optical fiber technology and its applications. Currently serving as Deputy Director of the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton and Head of the ORC Fibre and Laser Group, he has over 30 years of experience in areas such as hollow core optical fibers, high power fiber lasers, and optical communications. His work has resulted in more than 1500 publications and 30 patents.

His research spans the development of hollow core optical fibers for telecommunications and sensing, high power fiber lasers for industrial applications, and ultrafast lasers for biomedical imaging. Recent projects emphasize optical fiber stability, nonlinear optics, and data transmission efficiency, reflecting his commitment to advancing photonics and overcoming traditional silica fiber limitations.

Key scientific contributions include:

• Fellow of the Royal Society (2018)
• Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (2009)
• EU Horizon 2020 'Breaking the Optical Transmission Barriers' Prize (2016)
• Sir Harold Hartley Medal (2022)

Professor Richardson has supervised over 70 PhD students to completion and mentored more than 100 postdoctoral researchers. He co-founded SPI Lasers (2000) and Lumenisity (2017), bridging academic research with industrial innovation. His collaborative work extends to major projects like the EPSRC Hyperhighway and Airguide Photonics Programmes.