Priyanth M. is a Senior Manager in Optical Engineering at Ciena, where they lead research and development in photonic system performance for various optical networks. They previously worked as a Research Assistant at Rakon and an Affiliate at Penn State University, collaborating on multiple NSF and EPSRC funded projects. Priyanth earned a PhD in Optoelectronics from the University of Southampton, as well as an MSc in Physics and a BSc in Photonics from the University of Auckland. Their academic research focused on innovative optical technologies and applications in telecommunications.