Stefan Andersson Engels

Professor Stefan Andersson-Engels, (PhD 1990 in Physics from Lund University, Sweden) is head of Biophotonics@Tyndall at the Irish Photonics Integration Centre and a Professor at School of Physics, UCC, Cork, Ireland since 2016. He became an Optica Fellow 2016 and an SPIE Fellow 2018. 

Andersson-Engels is of the first generation of Biomedical Optics PhD Students, currently conducting research on applied translational and fundamental biophotonics. His primary research interests are in the fields of optical spectroscopy for tissue diagnostics and photodynamic therapy, while also active in improving the understanding of fundamental aspects of light propagation in turbid media.

As a co-founder of four start-up companies, Andersson-Engels has shown ambition to translate his research into the hands of clinicians, to the benefit for patients. He received the SKAPA Innovation Prize 2004 from Stiftelsen SKAPA, (the most prestigious innovation prize in Sweden, in memory of Alfred Nobel).

Andersson-Engels has contributed to the photonics society in several ways: As an active member of the OSA Member and Education Services Council between 2008-2016, Chairperson 2014-2015. As Chairperson he was also an OSA Board of Directors member. Active in organising international conferences as general and program co-chair, as well as on program committees. He is currently an editorial board member of JBO and JBP.

In 2003, Andersson-Engels, with Peter E. Andersen, co-founded the International Summer School on Biophotonics at the Island of Ven, Sweden. Since then, 11 schools have been organized tallying more than 600 alumni across the world. Together, they received the 2025 Esther Hoffman Beller Medal, “In recognition of their vision, drive and innovation in organizing the International Graduate Biophotonics Summer School, which has become a cornerstone of biophotonics PhD education.”

As an experienced lecturer in Photonics Andersson-Engels has participated as an invited lecturer at over 20 PhD schools globally.  For these achievements he is the recipient of “Lindbomska Belöningen” from the Royal Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden for “significant efforts to understand and apply, as well as teach medical optics and especially light propagation in human tissue.”