Nanophotonics Group

Location:  Highfield Campus
Closing Date:  Tuesday 31 August 2021
Reference:  1329921PN
Supervisory Team: Nikitas Papasimakis, Eric Plum, Kevin MacDonald, Nikolay Zheludev 

Project description

The Project

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are the most important new methodologies for scientific research since introduction of quantum mechanics.  With their emergence, computers have become capable of intuition, of learning from experience, and of finding answers to problems that are not fully understood or that are too complex to solve directly. This project will explore some of the extensive and exciting range of application opportunities presented in photonics. Major challenges include information transfer with structured light, inverse design of optical materials with predefined properties, complex light field generation for microscopy with molecular resolution and devices for next-generation metrology, and the study of new forms of optical spectroscopy.

Our Research Group

You will join a diverse multinational team of students, postdoctoral and academic staff working together on aspects of cutting-edge nanophotonics research – seeking to control light and light-matter interactions at the sub-wavelength scale. A remarkable range of new phenomena is found in this regime, with wide-ranging potential applications in, for example, telecommunications, metrology, sensing, defence, super-resolution imaging, and data storage.

Our work is supported by major nanophotonics research grants from the EPSRC (£5.6M) and the European Research Council (€2.6M).

You will have opportunity to develop advanced skills in experimental photonics, computational electromagnetic modelling, application of machine learning and artificial intelligence, electron and optical microscopy, and nanofabrication. 

It is expected that students will publish papers in leading academic journals and present their work at international conferences as their research progresses. 

For further information see: http://www.nanophotonics.org.uk/niz/

The Optoelectronics Research Centre

The ORC is a world-leading photonics research organization. With over 90 state-of-the-art laboratories and 200 researchers working in all areas of photonics, it provides an outstanding interdisciplinary environment for students to grow. 

Our extensive training and mentoring programme provides knowledge and skills through photonics lectures, skills training for report writing, project management, time management, presentation skills and full safety training for your research area. These are all essential life skills for the next step in your career.

For further information see: http://www.orc.soton.ac.uk/phd

Key facts

Entry Requirements: A very good undergraduate degree (at least a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent) in physics, electronic engineering, chemistry, materials science, or a related discipline.

Funding: Full tuition plus, for UK students, an enhanced stipend of £18,000 tax-free per annum for up to 3.5 years. Limited funding for EU applicants is available. Overseas students who have secured or are seeking external funding are also welcome to apply. 

For further information see https://www.orc.soton.ac.uk/fees-and-funding 

How to apply: Applications should be made online – see https://www.orc.soton.ac.uk/how-to-apply.

Applications should include: 

Curriculum Vitae
Two reference letters
Degree Transcripts to date

Apply online: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/how-to-apply/postgraduate-applications.page

For further information please contact: feps-pgr-apply@soton.ac.uk 

If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Dr Nikitas Papasimakis (Nanophotonics Research Group) and/or Dr Eric Plum (Nanophotonics Research Group/ORC Admissions), Email: np3@orc.soton.ac.uk / erp@orc.soton.ac.uk.

Closing date: Applications are accepted throughout the year. Start date will typically be September/October 2021, but other dates are possible.