Nowadays liquid crystal displays, light emitting diodes, and optical communications, which are representative examples of photonics, are closely related to everyday life. Thus photonics seems to be ubiquitous or omnipresent. Moreover, it is believed to be essential in developing future technologies such as photonics-aided electronics, quantum computing, extremely sensitive detection of a single molecule, etc. The goal of UP Lab is not only to play a leading role in developing the future technologies but also to make disruptive improvements in the current technologies. We focus on design, realization, and analysis of photonic and plasmonic waveguide devices working at the telecom wavelengths, optical bio/chemical sensors, and mid-infrared devices handling free-space beams.