Foundation
Simmons Memorial Speakership
Recognizing the best in optical networks at OFC.
Foundation
DONATE IN MEMORY OF JANE M. SIMMONS
Established in 2021, the Jane M. Simmons Memorial Speakership recognizes an invited speaker at OFC.
Application Information
How To Apply
By nomination throughthe OFC Program Chairs.
Important Dates
Invited speakers will be reviewed by the chairs and a recipient will be determined based on the criteria of the award.
Opens 01 January 0001
Closes 01 January 0001
Applicant Requirements
- Be an invited speaker at the OFC conference
- Have a presentation related to optical networks
- Demonstrated high-impact contributions to optical networks
- Attend and present at OFC
- Be recommended for consideration by a OFC conference chair
- Agree to let the foundation record their onsite presentation and provide it at no charge through the Optica online media library and to use their picture, name and story in program marketing opportunities
Application Requirements
- OFC program chairs will nominate a maximum of two invited speakers who fulfil the criteria for eligibility
- OFC general chairs will review all recommendations and select a maximum of one speakership recipient
- The recommendation of the OFC General Chairs is reviewed by the Optica Foundation for final approval
Recipients
2024 SIMMONS SPEAKER
Anna Tzanakaki
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
for her extensive contributions to optical and converged network research, for which she took leadership role in a large number of European projects. She has achieved great merits in both theory-driven and experimental research and has taken leadership roles in flagship OPTICA and IEEE conferences.
2023 SIMMONS SPEAKER
Hong Liu
Google LLC, USA
for her contributions to system architecture design for a large-scale computing platform, in particular, in leading the world’s first large-scale production deployment of optical circuit switches for datacenter networking.
2022 SIMMONS SPEAKER
Manya Ghobadi
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
for her contribution to AI systems and optically interconnected networks, in particular, utilizing newly emerging photonic technologies in data centers.About the Endowment
This speakership was created to honor the legacy of Jane M. Simmons and her high-impact contributions to optical network architecture, design and planning. The prize has been endowed by the Family of Jane Simmons.
Selection Committee
The OFC General Chairs select the recipient from the invited speaker list.
