The bonding of materials, and in particular the bonding of dissimilar materials, is an important part of many manufacturing processes. However, there remain areas where current technology does not fully satisfy the application specific requirements.  For example, adhesive bonding of precision optical assemblies can cause problems in terms of mechanical drift, operating temperature limitations, and hermeticity.  This project focuses on the development of industrially-relevant advanced laser bonding techniques for direct bonding of optical materials, including glass and crystalline materials to other optical materials and metallic components.  Ultrafast laser pulses can provide a highly localised heat source, due to their nonlinear material interaction, and so are highly suited to such applications.  Research is required in order to transform bonding demonstrations into robust high-yield manufacturing processes, including the development of strategies to avoid cracking.