Fotini Karinou

About

Fotini joined Microsoft’s Azure Hardware Systems and Infrastructure (AHSI) organization, the Strategic Planning & Architecture (SPARC) team, in September 2024, contributing to the company’s cloud infrastructure technology pathfinding, roadmapping and innovation strategy for future Azure AI and compute systems. Before, she was a Principal Research Manager at Microsoft Research Cambridge, the Cloud Systems Futures group, since July 2018 where she worked on developing novel optical technologies for next generation cloud computing systems and networks. Her research interests encompass topics such as optical communications, datacenter architectures, photonic devices, cryogenic optical interconnects and optical storage.

Before joining Microsoft, she was a Senior R&D Engineer at Huawei Technologies Ltd, Fixed Networks, in the Optical & Quantum Lab, in the German Research Centre in Munich since 2013. During this time she focused on the research and development of optical transmission systems and networks, ranging from high-capacity optical interconnects for datacom, to metro/access, and long-haul coherent systems. Additionally, she worked on quantum key distribution (QKD) optical systems and subsystems as well as physical layer prototypes for quantum communications. Specifically, her work involved the integration of a continuous variables (CV) QKD system into wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) deployed telecom networks.

She received the Diploma in Electrical and Computer Engineering, with specialisation in Telecommunications and Information Theory, and the PhD degree in optical communications with a focus on spectrally efficient WDM optical interconnect networks employing advanced modulation formats for high-performance computing systems, from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Patras, in Rio, Greece, in 2007, and 2012, respectively.

During her PhD, she was a visiting researcher at Denmark Technical University, the Photonics Department, where she worked in projects on spectrum-flexible reconfigurable cognitive optical networks and hybrid optical fibre-wireless transmission. As a part of her Diploma she was a visiting student at Vienna University, the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) at the Experimental Physics Institute of Prof. Zeilinger, working on quantum cryptography, participating in the initial attempts for the realization of a commercial prototype of a quantum key distribution system based on polarisation entanglement in the European FP6 SECOQC project.

Fotini has authored and co-authored more than 100 publications in the highest prestigious optical communications technology journals and conferences, several reporting record setting results.

She is currently serving as an Associate Editor in the IEEE/Optica Journal of Lightwave Technology and as General Chair for the IEEE/Optica Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) 2025. She has served as Program Chair for the IEEE/Optica OFC 2023, Technical Committee Chair for IEEE/OSA OFC 2020 and Topical Chair for IEEE Photonics Society Summer Topicals Meeting Series 2020. She is/has served as reviewer in various peer-reviewed journals and conferences, and as TPC Member in several conferences in the field of optical communications (i.e., OFC, CLEO, IPC, OECC). She has worked in several European research projects such as EU FP6 SECOQC, EU FP7 ICT-BONE, and EU FP7 CHRON.