Ka Wu completed his doctorate degree at the University of Adelaide, SA, Australia in 2015 with the Lasers and Optics Group. His PhD research focused on the development of high power thulium-based solid-state lasers and laser pulse suppression. After completing his PhD, Ka spent a couple of years in industry where he developed a strong interest in commercialisation, in particular designing, developing, and packaging experimental set-ups into devices that can be used beyond the lab.
 
Ka has since worked in both academic and industry settings, constantly establishing collaborations and trying to bridge the gap between research and industry. Some notable projects that he has been involved in include:
- co-founding the mid-infrared laser start-up company, Mirage Photonics,
- developing holmium-based waveguide chip lasers in collaboration with UniSA,
- taking the cryogenic sapphire oscillator ultra-stable clock from research-grade prototype to a commercial device at QuantX Labs,
- leading experimental testing of kilowatt-power delivery fibres in collaboration with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan,
- developing a thermal imager-based satellite payload in collaboration with SITAEL Australia
 
Ka is currently working at the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) and collaborating with Flawless Photonics to launch ZBLAN fibre manufacturing into Space, with the ultimate aim to produce the World's best ZBLAN fibre and revolutionise telecommunications.