Current research degree projects
Explore our current postgraduate research degree and PhD opportunities.
Explore our current postgraduate research degree and PhD opportunities.
We are looking for a new PhD student, with a background in Physics, Chemistry or Engineering, to join our friendly team, working on a novel gas sensor for applications including next generation energy sources (such as nuclear fusion reactors), sustainable process monitoring and point of care medical diagnosis. If you are looking for hands-on, primarily experimental project, working with an exciting new technology, which spans between academic research and commercial instrument development, then this project could be for you.
In the local Universe, galaxies can be broadly classified into discs, ellipticals and irregulars. Discs contain regularly-rotating gas, and are forming new stars. Ellipticals contain predominantly old stars in randomly oriented, round-shaped orbits, don't have much gas and are no longer forming stars. Irregulars are often the result of the merger between two disc galaxies, are rich in gas and dust, and are forming stars at an intense rate.
Ellipticals are amongst the most massive galaxies in the present-day Universe, have spheroidal morphologies and red colours, and were formed more than 10 billion years ago. They contain very little cold gas, and are not forming new stars at a substantial rate.How these objects have been formed and evolved across cosmic history is one of the main puzzles for galaxy formation and evolution studies. Indeed, observations show that at their formation epoch, that is redshift z~1-3, most galaxies were actively forming stars within extended stellar discs. Therefore, some mechanisms must quench star formation and induce morphological transformations in galaxies.
Cancer continues to be one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide. Cancer is associated with a very high mortality rate (50% survival at 10 years) as most cancers are diagnosed at a late stage. Recent advances have been made in early detection, though the assays employed are still experimental, highly expensive and can suffer from poor sensitivity and specificity. On the other hand, vibrational spectroscopy (Mid-IR and Raman) has shown to be robust in detecting cancer-specific analytes within the blood and other bodily fluids.
PhD Opportunity: Advanced sensors for planetary missions & astrophysicsAre you ready to embark on a journey of otherworldly research? Do you want to be part of the space revolution that is pushing the frontiers of humankind and helping us understand our world and our climate? If so, then join the world-leading Hollow Core Fibre group at the University of Southampton and develop advanced sensors that are enabling the next generation of space missions.
Join the world-leading Hollow Core Fibre group at the University of Southampton in partnership with Microsoft Azure, and be at the forefront of a technological revolution. We are seeking a dedicated and ambitious individual to develop the next generation of hollow core optical fibres (HCF) using the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
PhD Opportunity: A Quantum Leap for Quantum TechnologyAre you ready to take a quantum leap in your career? Join the world-leading Hollow Core Fibre group at the University of Southampton, in partnership with Microsoft Azure Fiber, and be part of a ground-breaking research project entitled “A Quantum Leap for Quantum Technology”.
The study of the mechanical properties of any large, complex structures such as a space launch vehicle or Earth’s crust relies on a large array of sophisticated and, often, expensive sensors. Constrained by budget, the number of sensing nodes deployed in such projects often does not exceed a few hundred, limiting the scale and scope of these studies. The aim of this project is to establish a new class of sensing system that is capable of mapping strain distribution at thousands of points using a single strand of optical fibre thinner than a human hair. When placed on or inside a structure such as the airframe of an aircraft, optical fibres act as artificial nerves, transmitting valuable information about the condition of the structure to the interrogating unit that acts as a brain.
Most of our digital data is coming via an optical fibre in form of short optical pulses. University of Southampton is one of pioneering institutions in optical fibre development. But are optical fibre limited to optical domain?Terahertz waves sit between infrared and microwave bands. This is fascinating region where optics meets with radio-technology. Its unique properties offer new solutions for medical imaging, security checks and data transfer. Next wireless communication standard 6G will heavily rely on terahertz technology enabling higher bandwidth and greater data transmission rates.
Global climate change is the biggest challenge faced by humanity. Not many people realise that most of the data at the scientist disposal is sparse and limited. It is sufficient for evaluating trends, but falls short in capability of tracking real time processes. This information is essential for scientists, policy makers and whole society to fully understand current situation.