Aravind Venugopalan

Aravind Venugopalan is the CTO and Co-Founder of Singular Photonics, an Edinburgh-based semiconductor spinout from the University of Edinburgh. Born and raised in India, he completed his doctoral research at the University of Edinburgh's School of Engineering, where he developed expertise in SPAD (Single-Photon Avalanche Diode) sensor design and on-chip digital processing. He was previously a Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellow, a highly competitive programme supporting scientists and engineers in commercialising their research.

Venugopalan co-founded Singular Photonics alongside CEO Shahida Imani, Dr Neil Finlayson, and Professor Robert Henderson — a global pioneer of SPAD image sensor technology — following incorporation in February 2024. As CTO, he leads the technical architecture of the company's next-generation SPAD-based sensors, which integrate advanced computation directly at the pixel level to enable in-pixel histograms, time-correlated single photon counting, and real-time 4D imaging across fields including scientific instrumentation, autonomous systems, medical imaging, and quantum technology. His engineering background gives the company a distinctive capability to design chips compatible with standard semiconductor manufacturing processes, enabling cost-effective high-volume production.

Singular Photonics has achieved significant commercial milestones in its first year of operation, launching two sensor products — Sirona and Andarta — and securing partnerships with AMS Technologies for European distribution and Meta for wearables applications. The company raised £1 million from the Scottish Venture Fund, Cambridge Angels, and Old College Capital, and has been selected for the UK government's Chipstart UK programme. Venugopalan has represented the company at major international photonics conferences including SPIE Photonics West and the EPIC annual general meeting.