Withawat Withayachumnankul
University of Adelaide, AustraliaFor innovative contributions to terahertz photonics including metasurfaces, antennas, and integrated platforms for sensing and communications.
Withawat Withayachumnankul didn’t identify a career in research as a clear path until after his PhD. By that time, he was working as a postdoctoral researcher, acting as an employee rather than a student for the first time. He was fascinated by the work, invigorated by the new mindset of a professional. He decided to explore opportunities to stay in Australia and eventually landed a lectureship at the University of Adelaide, where he is now a full professor.
Withawat’s current research involves the emerging field of terahertz technologies. A hybrid field occupying the region between the microwave and infrared bands, terahertz technologies hold a lot of promise for future applications. However, unique challenges must be overcome before real-world applications can be implemented. Withawat is driven by these possibilities and greets each day with excitement for what new ideas will come along. Right now is a particularly active time for research in the field, and some young researchers' concern is finding novelty in their work. Withawat advises his students to always keep practical applications in their minds as targets, saying, “So long as you focus on working towards practical applications for real-world problems, then the novelty will come along.”
He learned this focus on applications from his collaborators in Japan. Over many years of working with groups at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Osaka University, Keio University, and Kyushu University, Withawat has observed that these researchers constantly work toward a more industrial application, striving to take their research out of the lab. Rather than defining his success by publishing papers, Withawat aims to move his research up the TRL, or Technology Readiness Levels, and make his research useful for people.
In addition to these influential collaborators, Withawat has learned much about research from his mentor, Christophe Fumeaux. The two are still colleagues today, though their offices are no longer next door to each other like they once were. One of the most critical lessons Withawat learned from Christophe was about integrity. This is also an important trait that he passes along to his current students. Alongside integrity, he focuses on quality and efficiency with his group. The importance of a mentor goes well beyond someone to guide your research, so it is imperative to find someone who can guide you in all the different aspects of building a career. After all, we are all human and don’t know everything at the begining. A strong mentor helps fill in the gaps.
Withawat dedicates most of his time to his research. He is happy to do this because he views research as his hobby as well as his job and approaches it with a vigorous curiosity. However, when he does step away, he enjoys a rather unique hobby: organizing his home. He says that finding the ideal location for all of his belongings is very similar to research, and there are many considerations, like the ease of access and how highly trafficked a particular area might be. Withawat is also interested in astronomy and philosophy and enjoys pondering big questions. In particular, he is intrigued by questions that science cannot answer, like why we are here and what consciousness is. Looking up to space and admiring all of the unknown beyond the Earth’s surface gives Withawat further inspiration to continue his work.
Photo courtesy of Withawat Withayachumnankul
Profile written by Samantha Hornback
