At the SPIE Conference on Computational Optics, Valeriia Sedova presented the paper "Advances in modeling and optimization for two-photon lithography". The decisive evaluation criteria for the papers were clarity of presentation, scientific merit, and potential innovative impact. The Best Paper Awards included a cash reward and an award certificate and were sponsored by ASML, Nikon and ZEISS.

Two-photon lithography provides unique opportunities for the fabrication of 3D optical metasurfaces. The classical design of metasurfaces neglects fabrication effects and assumes an ideal building block with sharp edges and corners. Optical and chemical effects during lithographic fabrication lead to rounded features and proximity effects, revealing the complex aspects of the manufacturing process. The manufacturable design of functional metasurfaces requires predictive modeling of the optical and photochemical effects in two-photon lithography. Modeling of two-photon lithography is performed using different approaches for the mathematical description of photoresist effects, including simple threshold models, a compact model that emulates the important phenomena during the processing of the photoresist, and a full model that includes details on the polymerization of the photoresist material. This research not only refines methodologies but also provides valuable guidance for future research.

Valeriia Sedova holds a Bachelor's degree in Optics and Lasers and pursued her Master's degree in the Elite program, the Master Programme in Advanced Optical Technologies at FAU (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg), specializing in computational optics. With a focus on computation and modeling of various optical lithography techniques, including EUV, grayscale, and two-photon lithography, Valeriia has been working as a researcher in the Lithography and Optics Simulation Group of the Modeling and Artificial Intelligence Department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISB for the past four years.