Working through a pandemic @PhotonicsHub

| Reacting to COVID-19 and preparing for the future

Working through a pandemic @PhotonicsHub

The Hub community adapted quickly and pro-actively throughout the pandemic, finding new ways of working and supporting each other and the wider-world tackle challenges as they unfolded. Some highlights included 3D printing face shields for local health and care workers, doing a PhD from home and leading the effort to get the clean rooms covid-safe for researchers and industry.

Doing a photonics PhD from home during lockdown

We talked to a final-year PhD student, Wanvisa Talataisong, about her experience of doing her PhD studies from home during lockdown.

Read the full story here.

Photonics researcher 3D printing thousands of face shields

A postdoctoral researcher helped produce thousands of face shields for health and care workers in Hampshire.

Hub research - how we transferred to operating in a ‘new normal’

In just a few months, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world, affecting dayto-day life and disrupting economies around the globe. What impact did this have on the photonics research community, and what challenges and opportunities did we face as we moved to a ‘new normal’?

Read the full story here.

Photonics researchers accelerate development of 15-minute COVID-19 diagnostic tests

Photonics researchers reported promising early results from a prototype for rapid and cheap COVID-19 diagnostic tests.

The laser-printed testing kits detected the presence of the virus itself rather than antibodies and were designed to return a diagnosis within 15 minutes.

Supplying PPE to front-line NHS staff

“Pleased our clean rooms have been able to supply approx 50,000 vital pieces of PPE to the NHS in the COVID19 fight. Thank you to all those on the front line working so hard keep us safe.” #WeAreTogether #NHSheros #COVID19”

Back in the lab

“Looking forward to getting the laboratory running again to commence industrial collaborations.”

Mountbatten clean rooms complex first University of Southampton facility to re-open

Academics and industrial partners were able to return to experimental work in the clean rooms in June 2020.

The incredible work of the facilities management and technician teams alongside the central University health and safety team devised best practice procedures as government guidance was released.