NEWS! IX-ISLiST International Student Grants Call is Open
The eighth edition of our ISLIST Summer School (VIII-ISLIST), focused on "Light in Energy, the Environment, and Laser Manufacturing," was a resounding success, taking place from June 16 to 20, 2025. You can read the final report here the final report .
This school is conceived as a premier international forum (held every third or fourth week of June) on light science and technology, within the framework of a renowned university of excellence, known as the "university of universities," and in the privileged setting of the Royal Palace of La Magdalena in Santander, Cantabria, Spain. Each edition of this international school focuses on a different core theme or specific application area, addressing cutting-edge topics and, where appropriate, other complementary current hot issues. Light in Health and Medicine will be the core theme of the IX-ISLIST edition, to be held from June 15 to 19, 2026.

ISLiST has been conceived as a great opportunity to review, actualize and improve the knowledge of scientists, professionals and technicians; to contribute to the education and to enhance the motivation of PhD students; to offer an ideal frame for networking and also to contribute to the education of the citizens. It is also a great opportunity to ensure that policymakers, entrepreneurs, and other key “actors” will be aware of the problem-solving potential of Photonics.
¡New! the final report of the 2025 edition is here.
Invited Speakers for the 2026 edition
| INVITED | AFFILIATION | TITTLE | |
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Prof. Vasilis Ntziachristos
Director and Chair |
Institute of Biological and Medical Imaging, Helmholtz Zentrum München Chair of Biological Imaging, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
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Advanced Optoacoustic Imaging and its multimodal approaches: currents and trends.
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Prof. Aydogan Ozcan Director
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Director, Bio&Nano-Photonics Laboratory, Chancellor’s Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, USA. |
Diffusion model-based super-resolved virtual staining of label-free tissue. |
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Dra. Dana Cialla-May Head of working group |
Plasmon-enhanced Bioanalytics group, Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT), Jena, Germany.
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Innovative optical effects to significantly enhance signal in Raman spectroscopy for biological and biomedical applications: present and future |
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Prof. Kristen M. Kelly Chair |
Department of Dermatology and Prof. of Dermatology and Surgery, UCI, Newport Beach, California, USA. |
Photodynamic Therapy for Cutaneous Diseases: currents and trends. |
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Prof. Guillermo Tearney Director
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The Tearney Lab, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA. |
Last advances on Micro OCT for imaging cells and sub-cellular structures in the coronary wall
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Prof. Mikael Käll Head
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Nano and Biophysics group, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothemburg, Sweden. |
Optical Antennas and Metasurfaces for life sciences and medicine applications: principles, currents and trends
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Prof. Susana Marcos Director |
David R. Williams Center for Visual Science, The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, NY, USA. |
Latest advances on Light-based technologies to improve vision |
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Prof. Laura Lechuga Director |
Nanobiosensors and Bioanalytical Applications Group, Catalan Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Barcelona, Spain. |
Biophotonic advanced Sensors: currents and trends |
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Prof. Andrea Cusano Head
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Optoelectronic and Photonic Group, Università degli Studi del Sannio, (UniSannio) Benevento, Italy.
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Lab-on-Fiber advanced devices for Point of Care medical applications |
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Prof. Carlos Molpeceres Director |
Laser Institute, Deputy Vicerrector for Innovation, UPM, Madrid, Spain. |
Manufacturing of key tools for medicine using laser-based processing technologies |
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Prof. Naomi Halas Director |
Laboratory for Nanoengineering, Nanophotonics, RICE University, USA. |
Gold nanoshell-localized photothermal ablation of tumors: lessons learned on the prostate cancer case |
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Prof. Andy Yun Head
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Harvard Medical School and faculty member at MIT, Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Boston, MA, USA. |
Deep-tissue efficient PDT of cancer activated by Bioluminescence: Science-fiction or reality |
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Prof. Kishan Dolakia Director |
Centre of Light for Life, University of Adelaide, Australia. |
Optical Trapping and manipulation of biological species useful in medicine: currents and trends. |
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Prof. Li-Huei Tsai Director
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The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Boston, USA.
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Could we Treat Alzheimer with Light and Sound?
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Prof. Paul Chazot Director
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Wolfson Research Institute Special Interest Group, Department of Biosciences, Durham University, United Kingdom. |
Transcranial non-invasive infrared Photobiomodulation Therapy fighting Alzheimer
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Prof. Mariana G. Figueiro Director
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Light and Health Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai NY, USA. |
Rhythmic Light Therapy to Entrain Gamma Oscillations and the Circadian System in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
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Prof. José Miguel López Higuera Emeritus Professor AH, ISLIST director |
Former Head of Photonic Engineering Group of UC, CIBER-BBN and IDIVAL, Spain. |
Light Technologies for early detection and executive functions monitoring on Alzheimer's Disease patients |
More Information

DIRECTOR: José Miguel López Higuera
Former Head of the Photonics Engineering Group
University of Cantabria
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SECRETARIAT: José Francisco Algorri
Photonics Engineering Group
University of Cantabria
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