Virtual and CREOL: CROL-103

Title: AI-Enhanced Photonic Sensing

Abstract: The fusion of AI and photonic sensing is transforming how we detect, analyze, and interpret optical signals, with applications spanning biomedical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and industrial automation. In this talk, I will present my research on AI-enhanced photonic sensors, demonstrating how machine learning algorithms can significantly improve sensitivity, selectivity, and unlock new sensing capabilities. I will discuss key innovations in AI-enhanced photonic sensing, including optical resonance barcodes, AI-driven multiparameter sensing, and cavity-enhanced photoacoustic detection, leveraging whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) microresonators as a sensing platform. These resonators, with their ultrahigh quality factors and strong light-matter interactions, enable ultra-sensitive, label-free detection. Beyond enhancing sensing performance, AI-enhanced sensors unlock capabilities beyond conventional sensors, enabling adaptive, real-time detection in dynamic and complex environments with enhanced robustness and precision. The techniques developed for WGM-based sensors provide a transferable framework that can be adapted to other sensing systems. Looking ahead, I will outline future research directions that integrate AI, photonics, and microfabrication to develop intelligent sensors with broad applications in healthcare, manufacturing, and security.

About the Speaker: Jie Liao is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Washington University in St. Louis. He obtained his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in 2023. He received his M.S. and B.S. in Optics and Photonics from Fudan University, China, in 2017. His research focuses on AI-enhanced photonic sensing techniques and systems, with a particular emphasis on their applications in biosensing and diagnostics. He is a recipient of the Danforth Scholar recognition at Washington University in St. Louis.

Virtual Location URL: https://ucf.zoom.us/j/96981631939