Grant: Collaborative Research and Training Experience

The CREATE Professional Research Training Program in Next Generation Optical Networks will provide highly qualified personnel trained in the integrated disciplines of optical devices, photonics communication systems, and information technology to support the explosive international bandwidth demand through research that supports high-speed signal processing product development in optical networks. The program is a partnership between Queen's, McGill, and Laval University that builds on a history of successful joint projects in photonics engineering between the three universities. All three institutions also have strong ties to industry-leading companies that will facilitate relationships between researchers during technology development and knowledge transfer. The long-term objective of the research program project is to develop a new generation of optical networking infrastructure that supports high data-rates (> 100 Gb/s) and agile service delivery. Specifically, the latest signal processing techniques in both optical and electronic domains will be explored and their applications in customers' premises will be investigated. The training program is designed to develop professional skills in graduate trainees (masters, doctoral, and postdoctoral fellows) that complement their qualifications and technical skills that will facilitate transition to the workforce in the optical engineering sector. The integrated program includes participation in collaborative research projects in optical devices, sub-systems and systems, industrial internships or international exchanges, a common graduate course on advance topics in optical networks, and a one-week annual summer school that places CREATE trainees in an environment of leading scientific researchers and industrial practitioners to nurture both technical and essential professional skills on intellectual properties, commercialization practice, and teamwork.