ICFO–TIFRH Frontiers Research School, 2025
This year’s edition of the ‘ICFO–TIFRH Frontiers Research School’ was held from September 24 – 26, 2025 at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research – Hyderabad campus, bringing together national as well as international experts to discuss latest developments in quantum materials and ultrafast optics with students and early-career researchers. Across three days, the programme featured tutorials, invited talks, and poster sessions.
The thematic focus of the School was fully aligned with the International Year of Quantum Science and Technologies (IYQ-2025), as announced by the UNESCO, and also commemorated the centenary of modern quantum mechanics, a field whose foundations were laid in 1925 – 26 through the pioneering work of Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger, and others. The event saw participation from students and researchers across the country.
Day 1 opened with Javier García de Abajo (ICFO, Barcelona) speaking on quantum interactions between free electrons and optical fields, followed by Karthik V. Raman (TIFR Hyderabad) on Berry curvature physics at buried interfaces in quantum material heterostructures. Ipsita Das (TIFR Alumni, ICFO Alumni, Princeton University) presented work on stacked 2D materials, showing how moiré patterns reveal exotic quantum states and how infrared optics can be used to probe them.K. Thyagarajan, who has served as Professor of Physics at IIT Delhi and later at Bennett University, with significant contributions to fiber optics, quantum optics, and integrated optoelectronics, gave a plenary session on the evolution of quantum mechanics and the formulation of the quantum nature of light. His talk commemorated both the IYQ-2025 and the hundred years since the birth of modern quantum theory, offering participants a reflective perspective on how far the field has come since its inception.
Day 2 featured tutorials by Jens Biegert (ICFO, Barcelona) on harnessing few-cycle pulses for extreme photonics and T. N. Narayanan (TIFR Hyderabad) on quantum materials in energy applications. The day also saw extended discussions, with students continuing exchanges with speakers between sessions.
Day 3 included talks by Giovanna Pertillo (ICFO, Barcelona) on academic opportunities in photonic sciences and Anjani Priyadarsini (Amazon Web Services India) provided an industrial perspective on practical advances in quantum computing, shedding light on various areas where the skills acquired through the school can be explored for contributing to the nation quantum initiatives. Poster sessions were held throughout the School, providing a platform for students and early-career researchers to present their work.
The programme concluded with an interactive session featuring Jens Biegert (ICFO, Spain), Prof. Cesare Soci (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), and M. Krishnamurthy (TIFR Hyderabad). The discussion touched upon research progress across regions, large-scale versus table-top experiments, the challenges of research careers, work-life balance, and the role of open-access publishing, bringing the School to an engaging and thought-provoking close.
The concluding session was organized by the TIFR NeSt: a student body at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Hyderabad that brings together students from various disciplines within the institute, fostering collaboration, leadership, and networking. TIFR NeSt is actively involved in organizing scientific outreach as well as social events, and continues to serve as a platform for student engagement and community building at TIFR Hyderabad.
