Have you developed a tool, workflow, or technique that makes photonics research more efficient? If so, we invite you to share it with the global research community at Hack Your Research (HYR) during the IEEE Photonics Conference (IPC) 2026.
Hack Your Research is an interactive session where researchers demonstrate practical tools, software, and workflows that improve productivity, streamline experiments, automate tasks, and enhance the reproducibility of research. Whether you’ve created a simple script or a comprehensive software package, HYR provides a collaborative environment to showcase your work, exchange ideas, and connect with fellow researchers.
We welcome demonstrations featuring:
- Python and MATLAB tools
- Research software and open-source packages
- Experimental and simulation workflows
- Data analysis and visualization tools
- AI-assisted research applications
- Practical scripts, templates, and productivity hacks
Looking for Inspiration?
At IPC 2025, Hack Your Research featured a diverse range of demonstrations showcasing innovative tools and research workflows, including:
- AI-powered photonic device design using neural operators
- Python-based lab automation and Raspberry Pi solutions
- High-performance MATLAB simulation toolboxes
- Open-source academic writing and reference management tools
- Interactive digital twins for optical systems
- Automated chip design and layout workflows
- Real-time optical network monitoring and intrusion detection
These presentations demonstrated how practical, accessible tools can accelerate research, improve collaboration, and help solve everyday challenges in photonics laboratories around the world.
Whether your contribution is a single script, an automation workflow, a simulation package, or a research software platform, Hack Your Research is your opportunity to share it with more than 100 researchers eager to discover practical solutions they can apply in their own work.
Proposal Deadline: September 30, 2026
Hack Your Research Session: November 8, 2026
Location: IEEE Photonics Conference (IPC) 2026 | Denver, Colorado
Ready to share your research hack?
