PRESS RELEASE
26 October 2023
Contact:
Media@ofcconference.org
OFC 2024 Plenary Unites Visionaries from Across the Globe to Explore Networking's Role in Shaping the Future of Science, Education and Optical Communications
Anita Döhler, Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance; Inder Monga, ESnet; and David Richardson, Microsoft to headline the industry’s premier global event for optical communications and networking, AI, and data center connectivity
SAN DIEGO – The 2024 Optical Fiber Communications Conference and Exhibition (OFC) will be held 24-28 March 2024 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California, USA. The premier global event for optical communications and networking, OFC 2024’s plenary features thought-provoking industry luminaries who will provide insight into the future of optical networking and the impact in education and science.
The plenary program, featuring Anita Döhler, CEO, NGMN Alliance; Inder Monga, Executive Director, ESnet and Scientific Networking Division Director, Berkeley Lab; and David Richardson, Partner Researcher, Microsoft is scheduled for Tuesday, 26 March 2024, 08:00-10:00 UTC.
“OFC continues to serve as the prime platform that bridges the gap between optical communications research, innovation and industry,” said OFC General Chairs Chris Fludger, Infinera; Roland Ryf, Nokia Bell Labs; and Dimitra Simeonidou, Univ. of Bristol, UK. “The distinguished international Plenary speakers in this year’s roster will explore cutting-edge optical, quantum and mobile technology domains. We eagerly anticipate their perspectives on novel fiber technologies, the emergence of quantum networking and exciting developments of next-generation networks.
PLENARY SPEAKERS
Anita Döhler, Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN)
Anita Döhler brings a wealth of international experience across diverse business sectors, including senior leadership roles within mobile network operators, technology vendors, and consulting firms. Between 2016 and 2020, she held prominent senior management positions at Accenture Industry X.0. Prior to her tenure at Accenture, Döhler amassed 16 years of experience at Vodafone Group, and earlier in her career, she contributed her expertise to E-Plus and Philips, among other notable organizations. Döhler holds a Dipl.-Ing. degree in Telecommunication Engineering and has also earned an Executive MBA degree. She is also a Systemic Business Coach.
Döhler is passionate about propelling technological innovation for the betterment of humanity and societies, with a steadfast commitment to supporting the world’s foremost operators, vendors and research institutes.
Inder Monga, Executive Director, ESnet
Indermohan (Inder) S. Monga serves as the Director of the Scientific Networking Division at Berkeley Lab and holds the position of Executive Director for Energy Sciences Network (ESnet), which is the Department of Energy's cutting-edge high-performance network user facility. Engineered to support extensive scientific endeavors, ESnet links and offers services to over 50 DOE research locations, encompassing National Laboratories, supercomputing facilities, scientific apparatus, and maintains connections with 271 research and commercial networks worldwide.
Beyond his role in ESnet's management, Monga actively contributes to the advancement of networking science for collaborative and distributed research applications, engaging in ongoing research endeavors, including the field of quantum networking. He is the principal investigator for the Quantum Application Network Testbed for Novel Entanglement Technology (QUANT-NET), and his diverse research accomplishments include 25 patents.
David Richardson, Partner Researcher, Microsoft
David Richardson joined Microsoft as a Partner Researcher in February 2023 following their acquisition of Lumenisity Ltd, a spinout company that he co-founded in 2016 to develop hollow core fiber cables and solutions for telecoms and datacoms. Prior to joining Microsoft, Richardson had a remarkable 34-year career at the esteemed Optoelectronics Research Centre at the University of Southampton. For the last 24 years of his tenure there, he held the position of Deputy Director, leading a sizable research group that worked on the forefront of optical fiber technology and its applications in telecommunications, high-power lasers and sensing.
Throughout his career, Richardson has collaborated extensively with companies and universities worldwide, resulting in an impressive body of work that includes over 500 journal papers and 20 patents. He is a Fellow of both the Royal Society and of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
In addition to the five days of technical conference sessions featuring peer-reviewed presentations and invited speakers, OFC offers live interoperability demonstrations conducted by leading optics companies running over OFCnet. OFC’s live high-speed optical network facilitates booth-to-booth fiber connectivity for on-site optical demonstrations and connects CENIC (the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California) to the OFC exhibition. This connectivity creates fresh avenues for exhibitors collaborating with affiliated academic institutions to showcase advancements and capabilities within a live, fully operational network environment in real-time.
This year’s conference will be a hybrid format with in-person and virtual components to meet the unique needs of a global audience.
About OFC
The 2024 Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC) is the premier conference and exhibition for optical communications and networking professionals. For nearly 50 years, OFC has drawn attendees from all corners of the globe to meet and greet, teach and learn, make connections and move business forward.
OFC includes dynamic business programming, an exhibition of global companies and high impact peer-reviewed research that, combined, showcase the trends that are shaping the entire optical networking and communications industry. OFC is co-sponsored by the IEEE Communications Society (IEEE/ComSoc) and the IEEE Photonics Society and co-sponsored and managed by Optica (formerly OSA). OFC in 2024 will be presented in a hybrid format with in-person and virtual components and will take place 24-28 March 2024 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California, USA.
Learn more and engage on LinkedIn, follow @OFCConference on X (formerly Twitter) and watch highlights on OFC YouTube.