About the project
Help shape the future of photonics by turning new ideas into a transformative technology. This PhD will combine hollow-core optical fibres with photonic integrated circuits to create a new platform for future communications, sensing, and quantum technologies, affording you hands-on experience in optical design, device fabrication, and experimental research.
Help build a new and transformative photonic platform that combines two exciting photonic technologies: hollow-core fibres (HCFs) and photonic integrated circuits (PICs). HCFs guide light in air rather than solid glass, resulting in dramatically improved performance compared to traditional fibres. PICs shrink complex optical systems down to the chip-scale, enabling more compact, efficient, and performant devices. By combining these efficiently, you will help create a truly transformative photonics platform that supports applications as diverse as:
- long-distance quantum entanglement distribution and secure communication
- scalable quantum computing
- visible-light communication
- sensing for health, industry, and the environment
To achieve this your project will include both hands-on experimental work and theoretical modelling, allowing you to gain experience of optical design and modelling, device and fibre fabrication, and optical characterisation, amongst many others.
Based at the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) and working with the CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre (CPIC), you will join a diverse and supportive community of over 300 researchers and PhD students with access to excellent facilities and technical support. CPIC, who will fund the project, is also the UK’s technology hub for silicon photonics with a mission to build a silicon photonics pipeline for industry by 2030 and hence offers broad scope for industrial collaboration and interaction.
This broad team will also train and guide you as you begin your photonics journey, and as such previous photonics experience is not essential, so all those with a good degree in a STEM subject are encouraged to apply.
The School of Optoelectronics (ORC) is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.
