The Center for Nano- and Biophotonics (NB-Photonics) of Ghent University is a multidisciplinary partnership involving 18 professors from the Faculties of Engineering and Architecture, Bioscience Engineering, Sciences and Pharmaceutical Sciences. NB-Photonics was established and launched in 2010.

NB-Photonics builds on the university’s excellence in research and graduate level education in the fields of photonics, life sciences and nano-sciences.

NB-Photonics focuses on frontier research at the crossroads of photonic integrated circuits and lab-on-chip approaches, nanomaterials development and electro-optical particle manipulation as well as their application to monitor, characterize and image biological systems.

The research of NB-Photonics is structured by means of eight research “drivers”, eight major ambitions that hold the promise of ground-breaking research and the potential for extraordinary economic or societal impact.

• Driver 1: Large area photonics through nanostructured materials
• Driver 2: Ultra-low-power high speed optical sources and switching
• Driver 3: Sensitive integrated label-free biosensors for multiplexed proteins/DNA detection
  
• Driver 4: Integrated photonic systems for mid-infrared biospectroscopy
• Driver 5: (Bio)-Imaging of nanosized matter and biomolecules
• Driver 6: Electro-optical particle manipulation
• Driver 7: Active nano-photonic implants
• Driver 8: Raman bio-spectroscopy enabled by nanophotonics

Management structure

The Center of Nano-and Biophotonics has a fourfold management structure which includes:

• Steering Board
• Director of the Center and Executive Cell
  
• Driver coordination teams
• Advisory Board