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Hoi-Kwong Lo (photo by Caitlin Free)

Hoi-Kwong Lo awarded 2022 CAP-INO Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Applied Photonics

University of Toronto researcher Hoi-Kwong Lo has received 2022 CAP-INO Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Applied Photonics.

The national award, presented jointly by the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) and Institut National d’Optique (INO), recognizes Lo’s impact in the field of quantum communications, including his work in quantum cryptography.

“The growth in quantum cryptography over the last few years has been truly impressive,” says Lo, a professor in the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering (ECE) in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering who is cross-appointed with the department of physics in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

“It wasn’t long ago that some of the techniques being commercialized today were considered merely promising theories – now they’re changing how the world protects its data.”

The medal is a community-wide distinction: CAP represents over 1,600 Canadian physicists and physics students while INO is Canada’s largest centre of expertise in optics and photonics.

“Professor Lo has earned this recognition with decades of ground-breaking work, and I couldn’t be happier for him,” says Professor Deepa Kundur, chair of ECE. “He’s had a massive impact on the direction of the field, and I suspect his influence will only grow as we enter the quantum era.”

Engineering