Dr Mitchell Cox

Dr Mitchell Cox received his PhD in 2020, specialising in Structured Light in Turbulence. He co-founded the University of the Witwatersrand Optical Communication Lab at the Wits School of Electrical and Information Engineering, where he combines expertise in structured light with proudly embraced “nerdy engineer” skills to pioneer solutions for long-range, low-cost wireless optical communications. These solutions frequently involve creatively adapting low-cost components—often in ways not originally intended by manufacturers—and integrating machine learning, now evolving into optical neuromorphic computing, to advance affordable wireless optical technologies.

Dr Cox was honoured with the 2024 Meiring Naudé Medal from the Royal Society of South Africa and the 2023 Friedel Sellschop Award from Wits University. He also holds positions as an Optica Ambassador and a Senior Member of the IEEE. In 2025, he received an NRF P-rating, recognising him as an emerging leader in photonics research. He has published 31 journal papers, accumulating over 1 600 citations with an h-index of 17.

Building on his contributions in structured-light free-space optical communications and now venturing into the emerging field of optical AI, Dr Cox continues to push the exciting boundaries of photonics research—tipping his hat to the hardworking taxpayers who keep the lasers on.