Shahida Imani

Shahida Imani is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Singular Photonics, an Edinburgh-based fabless semiconductor company pioneering SPAD (Single-Photon Avalanche Diode) image sensor technology for 4D imaging applications. With roots in the University of Edinburgh's world-leading CMOS Sensors and Systems research group, she has been central to translating over two decades of academic photonics research into commercially deployable semiconductor products.

Before co-founding Singular Photonics, Imani built deep expertise at the intersection of technology commercialisation, photonics, and entrepreneurship. Her path to founding the company was shaped by the University of Edinburgh's commercialisation infrastructure — she was supported through Edinburgh Innovations, the university's commercialisation service, which provided IP protection, company formation support, and early access to funding through the Scottish Enterprise High Growth Spinout Programme and the UK government's ChipStart UK programme.

Singular Photonics was incorporated in February 2024 and has moved with unusual speed for a deep tech spinout — generating revenue within its first year of operation, launching commercially available SPAD sensor products, and securing partnerships with leading instrumentation companies. The company's sensor technology enables simultaneous capture of spatial and temporal data, producing rich 4D images with applications across medical imaging, autonomous vehicles, robotics, spectroscopy, and quantum sensing. Under Imani's leadership, Singular Photonics has raised funding from the Scottish Venture Fund, Cambridge Angels, and Old College Capital, and has been independently audited by BSI for its commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.