The Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) successfully organized the International Topical Meeting on Fundamental and Applied Optics (INTOPTICS-2026) on 30-31 March 2026. The conference was held in honor of Prof. C. S. Narayanamurthy, Retired Outstanding Professor, IIST, in recognition of his distinguished contributions to optics research and education.

The two-day meeting brought together leading scientists, academicians, researchers, and students from premier institutes, universities, and research organizations across the country to exchange ideas and discuss recent advances in fundamental and applied optics. The conference commenced with an inaugural session featuring addresses by the Vice Chancellor of IIST, the Pro-Vice Chancellor, senior faculty members, and distinguished guests from ISRO, followed by a keynote lecture by Dr. K. V. Sriram, Director, LEOS, ISRO, on "Optical Technologies for Space Missions: Fundamentals to Flight."

The conference featured invited lectures by experts and presentations by young researchers. The sessions covered diverse areas of optics and photonics, including structured light, coherence optics, optical metrology, optical fibers, adaptive optics, nonlinear optics, photonic spin-Hall effect, digital holography, and optical technologies for space applications. A special felicitation ceremony was organized in honor of Prof. C. S. Narayanamurthy and Shri T. Krishna Murthy, recognizing their significant contributions to optics and space technology and their dedicated service to IIST. The conference concluded with a valedictory session and laboratory visits to IIST's optics research facilities, offering participants a glimpse of the Institute's ongoing research activities.