We engineer light to carry information where cables cannot go.

At the Wits OC Lab, we bridge the gap between rigorous information theory and real-world physics. We structure laser beams and manipulate optical modes to bring the bandwidth of fibre optics to the flexibility of the wireless world. Our work is fundamentally experimental. We don't just simulate; we build. Our research concentrates on three cutting-edge frontiers:

• Long-Range Free-Space Optics (FSO): Defeating atmospheric turbulence using structured light to push the ultimate limits of distance and data rate.
• Visible Light Communication (VLC): Turning ubiquitous lighting infrastructure into secure, high-speed wireless networks.
• All-Optical AI: A paradigm shift that treats the chaotic physics of light propagation not as interference, but as a form of analogue computation.

We are a team of creators, tinkerers, and rigorous thinkers. If you are ready to move from learning about the future to building it, Join Us.

The lab is situated within the School of Electrical and Information Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg.

Wits (pronounced "Vits") is consistently ranked as a leading university in Africa and among the top 1% globally. It is home to four Nobel laureates and a vibrant research ecosystem that includes the second IBM Research laboratory established in Africa. The School of Electrical and Information Engineering has a rich heritage of producing graduates with exceptional technical and entrepreneurial talent, including optics pioneers like Dr. Tingyi Li, whose early work laid the groundwork for modern optical communications. This environment of excellence provides the ideal foundation for our ambitious research agenda.

Please take a look at our Research page to see what we do... and follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/witsoclab