ORC researchers attend Indo-UK workshop on optical sensing for water quality monitoring
A joint Indo-UK workshop titled ‘Optical Sensing for the Better World’ was held on 15 September 2025 in Chennai (Madras), India, bringing together leading researchers in the field of environmental sensing. The event was part of the collaborative project INSIGHT: Innovative Scattering-Based Optical Interrogation for High Sensitivity Detection of Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater, led by the University of Southampton’s Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM).
The workshop was attended by ORC Research Fellow Dr. Przemyslaw Falak, who is project co-ordinator, and Dr. Martynas Beresna, the project’s principal investigator. The initiative is funded by the British Council’s International Science Partnerships Fund and the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), under the umbrella of the ‘Resilient Planet’ programme. The funding was made possible following participation in the Resilient Planet Symposium in New Delhi in March 2024.
The INSIGHT project aims to advance knowledge exchange in optical sensing technologies for environmental monitoring, with a particular focus on water quality. Dr. Falak, also a Co-Investigator, is contributing by evaluating a scattering spectrometer developed during his PhD for its application in detecting contaminants in groundwater.
As part of the visiting programme, a team of four researchers from Southampton travelled to Chennai to participate in the workshop. The delegation included Prof. Gilberto Brambilla (Associate Dean International for FEPS), Prof. Christopher Holmes (Mechanical Engineering/ORC), Dr. Przemyslaw Falak (ORC), and the project lead. Dr. Falak extended his visit for three weeks to collaborate closely with the IIT Madras research group led by Prof. Balaji Srinivasan and Prof. Shivananju BN.
Przemyslaw Falak said: “This research project marks the beginning of what I believe will be a long-term and impactful partnership between the University of Southampton and IIT Madras, focused on addressing resilient planet-themed challenges.
It has been a highly rewarding experience to serve as project co-ordinator and to play an active role in co-organising the workshop, which facilitated meaningful dialogue and knowledge exchange between UK and Indian researchers.
Being part of a truly multinational collaboration has deepened my understanding of both the technical complexities and the practical challenges associated with deploying sensing technologies in rural environments.
The project has already strengthened the research partnership between the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) and IIT Madras, while also broadening my professional network, enhancing my interdisciplinary expertise, and paving the way for future collaborative opportunities.”
This international collaboration reflects the ORC’s commitment to tackling global environmental challenges through cutting-edge optical technologies and interdisciplinary partnerships.