Lien Smeesters

Lien Smeesters is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Applied Physics and Photonics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Her work focuses on advancing optical technologies for applications in climate monitoring, food safety, and industrial photonics. She is part of Brussels Photonics, a research group specializing in optical design and engineering.

Her research interests include spectroscopy, LiDAR systems, space-based imaging, and the development of novel optical devices. Notably, she contributed to projects like the GRADΞD SBO initiative aimed at additive manufacturing process control. She has presented at international conferences such as SPIE Photonics Europe and organized events like the Belgian Photonics Online Meetup 2022.

• Education: Master's and PhD in Applied Physics and Photonics (VUB).

Her awards include the Best Student Paper Award (2014), Photonics21 Student Innovation Award (2017), and EO Educational Award Finalist (2016). She has supervised master’s theses on topics like optical design for climate monitoring and tunable lenses in camera systems.

Her lab work involves collaborations on projects such as wide-field-of-view cameras for Earth radiation monitoring and polymer lightguide fabrication.