About
We're an MIT spin-out pairing state-of-the-art spatial light modulators with high-performance algorithms to develop the next generation of programmable free-space optics.
Christopher Panuski, PhD
Founder & CEO
Chris received bachelor's degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics from the United States Naval Academy in 2017 and a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) from MIT in 2022. There, he proposed and led the development of gigahertz-rate spatial light modulators, open-source holography algorithms, and a new class of wavelength-scale resonant optical sensors. His research has received various recognitions to include the Hertz Foundation Fellowship, the MIT Jacobs Presidential Fellowship, the American Physical Society's Carl E. Anderson Award for "extraordinary work that has significantly advanced the field of optics," and MIT's Jin Au Kong PhD Thesis Award.
Ian Christen, PhD
Founder & CTO
Ian Christen received bachelor's degrees in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Washington in 2017 and a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) from MIT in 2025. His work, supported by the NDSEG fellowship and the NSF QISE-NET award, focused on scaling atomic quantum networking and computing via integrated photonics. This ranged from fiber-packaged artificial-atom-based quantum repeater nodes to gigahertz-rate visible-wavelength spatial light modulators for atomic qubit optical gate synthesis, to open-source software for holographic manipulation of classical and quantum light. Ian has contributed to 30+ peer-reviewed articles/patents and is a founding member of the slmsuite development team.
Dirk Englund, PhD
Scientific Advisor,
Professor, MIT EECS
Dirk is a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, where he leads the Quantum Photonics and Artificial Intelligence Group. He holds a BS in Physics from Caltech and a PhD in Applied Physics from Stanford, and is a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award, the Sloan Research Fellowship, and the Optica Adolph Lomb Medal.
Beyond academia, Dirk has co-founded multiple startups including QuEra Computing and Axiomatic_AI and serves as an advisor to Lightmatter on photonic AI accelerators. His firsthand experience guiding deep-tech spin-offs from lab to market makes him an ideal strategic advisor for holodyne as it scales programmable optics into commercial applications.