NYANSAPƆ Photonics School for Health and Safety 2026 21 – 26 September 2026 | Department of Physics, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
The NYANSAPƆ Photonics School for Health and Safety is a six-day intensive training programme hosted by the Ghana Photonics and Optics Laboratory (GPOL) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), in partnership with SPIE and ICFO.
The school will equip final-year undergraduates, postgraduate students, and early-career researchers with hands-on skills in modern photonics techniques applied to real health, safety, and measurement challenges facing the region.
What you will learn: Participants will engage in hands-on sessions on the following photonics, microscopy, and spectroscopy techniques:
- Multispectral Spectroscopy: spectral imaging techniques for food, pharmaceutical, and environmental analysis
- Fluorescence Spectroscopy: fluorescence-based sensing and measurement for biological and chemical samples
- Raman Spectroscopy (including Through-Package Raman): molecular fingerprinting for material identification, quality control, and non-invasive analysis through packaging
- Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS): rapid elemental analysis of solids, liquids, and gases
- Openframe Microscopy: open-source, modular microscopy platforms for low-resource settings
- Low-Cost OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography): affordable depth-resolved imaging for medical diagnostics
- Diffuse Optics: non-invasive tissue monitoring using near-infrared light
- NMRduino: low-cost nuclear magnetic resonance instrumentation
- Optical Tweezers: laser-based tools for trapping and manipulating microscopic particles
Lectures, mini-projects, and evening data tutorials run alongside the labs, delivered by world-class faculty from ICFO, Imperial College London, University of Arizona, Vanderbilt University, UT Southwestern Medical Centre, and regional institutions.
Who should apply: The school is open to BSc final-year, MSc/MPhil, and PhD students in Physics and closely related fields. Applicants from Ghana and across West Africa are especially encouraged. Selection considers academic performance, motivation, institutional diversity, and gender equity.
Why attend: Leave with practical laboratory skills, experience with open-source photonics platforms, and connections to an international network of researchers. The school also includes a community outreach session and a careers session on postgraduate pathways and scholarships.
Spaces are limited to 30 participants. Apply now to be part of the inaugural cohort.
