In recognition of his advancement of nonlinear photonic technologies, a €1.7M ($2.4M USD) research grant has been awarded to an Aston University engineering professor. For developing new generations of fiber lasers, professor Sergei Turitsyn has received the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Investigator Grant. The ERC Advanced Grants recognize exceptional and established research leaders in the fields of science and engineering, enabling them to pursue potentially ground-breaking studies. Turitsyn's grant will fund new research posts and PhD opportunities in the Photonics Research Group at Aston University, where scientists will study ultralong fiber and random laser technologies for telecommunications and sensing applications, as well as for new approaches to secure communications. (See also: Aston, Partners Poised to Propel Photonics, https://www.photonics.com/Article.aspx?AID=44953) In December, work on random fiber lasers led by Turitsyn was named by Optics & Photonics News magazine as one of the top two global achievements in laser science in 2010. In 2009, Turitsyn also led a team that created the world’s longest laser at 270 km. For more information, visit: www.aston.ac.uk