Wu is establishing research activities in the development of high power fibre lasers at the CSIR. The current focus is on the design and fabrication of mid-infrared continuous wave and pulsed thulium and holmium-doped fibre lasers around 2 mm. A suite of large diameter fibre processing equipment was recently acquired to facilitate fibre splicing and limited fibre component fabrication.

Fibre lasers are compact, rugged and highly efficient, and have numerous uses ranging from defence, materials processing, sensors and spectroscopy, and medical and aesthetic applications.  They are also used as pump sources for nonlinear optical conversion.

Wu’s earlier research includes pulse laser deposition of photo- and electrochromic VO2 thin films and optical fibre communications research, with a focus on polarisation mode dispersion and related effects. She has also managed the CSIR-based laser facility which hosted university researchers conducting laser-based experiments.