Supporting early career researchers in the field of light–matter interaction is an integral part of JOSA B’s mission. To foster this goal, last year we introduced an annual prize for the best paper from an emerging researcher.

The prize recognizes a student or early-career researcher (within five years of earning their highest degree) who is first author of a paper that a committee of JOSA B editors judges to be outstanding. In addition to myself as chair, the selection committee this year comprised topical editors Li Qian, Sergey Sergeyev, Christos Tserkezis, and Gustavo Wiederhecker, representing a range of topics across the scope of the Journal.

We had the difficult but rewarding task of identifying a winner from among all the papers published in the Journal in 2022 based on criteria including the scientific significance, quality, and presentation of the results. As a matter of fact, this year we identified two equally excellent articles and decided to award two prizes. The winning papers, in chronological order, are “Noise-robust single-pixel imaging in the photon counting regime with a pulsed source” [1], by Junghyun Kim and colleagues from the Agency for Defense Development, Republic of Korea, and “Nonlinear optics in gallium phosphide cavities: simultaneous second and third harmonic generation” [2], by Blaine McLaughlin and colleagues from the University of Calgary, Canada.

Junghyun Kim’s article proposes, and reports their tests of, an improvement in single-pixel imaging. They draw inspiration from classical methods to significantly enhance the noise robustness of imaging at low photon levels. Beyond fundamental advances in imaging concepts, this forward-looking research will impact a wide range of fields, including telecommunications, metrology, and biomedical diagnostics.

The paper by Blaine McLaughlin reports combined theoretical and experimental analyses of nonlinear processes in a semiconductor microcavity system that serves as a novel platform for simultaneous second- and third-order harmonic generation at telecom wavelengths. This will enable the optimization of nonlinear devices so that they meet specifications for applications in telecommunications, microwave photonics, sensing, and metrology.

The selection committee felt that the thoroughness of both studies, their clarity of presentation, and the significance of these works for both fundamental science and state-of-the-art applications were particularly impressive.

Junghyun Kim

Junghyun Kim obtained his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Republic of Korea, in 2019. Subsequently, he worked at the Agency for Defense Development, Republic of Korea, from 2019 to 2022. During his time there, he focused on research related to imaging in the photon-counting regime using correlated photons. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA.

Blaine McLaughlin

Blaine McLaughlin received his B.Sc. in astrophysics in 2017 and M.Sc. in physics in 2022 from the Institute of Quantum Science and Technology at the University of Calgary, Canada. His main research focus has been on nonlinear optics in photonic resonator devices, particularly in III–V materials, including work on photonics in diamond microdisks. He is currently pursuing a career in the photonics industry, with a particular interest in quantum computing and quantum information.

Please join us in congratulating Junghyun and Blaine on being selected as the winners of the 2022 JOSA B Emerging Researcher Best Paper Prize!