Zepler Institute for Photonics and Nanoelectronics

Location:  Highfield Campus
Closing Date:  Wednesday 31 August 2022
Reference:  1847222PN

Supervisory Team:    Massimiliano Guasoni, Cosimo Lacava

Shaping light at the nanoscale with dielectric nanoantennas

Project description

Project description

In the last decade, nanophotonics has emerged as one of the most important research fields in optics. A tiny nano-object plays the role of a nanoantenna: when excited by a light source, it scatters light in the surrounding environment in one or more directions that depend on its geometry and material. An important issue that has not been fully understood yet is how to control the directionality and power of this scattered radiation.

The scope of this PhD project is to advance our knowledge in nanophotonics by designing and fabricating nanoantennas that allow full control of the scattered field at the nanoscale. Single nanoantennas with arbitrary shape as well as arrays of coupled nanoantennas will be designed, fabricated and tested.

 PhD Programme

You will work at the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) of the University of Southampton, in the Multimode Photonics Group led by Dr. Massimiliano Guasoni. A collaboration is in place with the University of Brescia (Italy) and the Australian National University, which will allow you to travel and visit our Italian and Australian academic partners.

Besides gaining a theoretical understanding in nanophotonics, you  will have the unique opportunity to learn how to fabricate and test nanoantennas in the state-of-the-art cleanrooms of the University of Southampton. 

You will have access to some among the best equipped laboratories and nanofabrication research facilities in the world (£ 120M worth), and to one of the most powerful supercomputers in UK. 

You will directly interact on a daily basis with world-leading scientists at the ORC that are revolutionizing the field of photonics, and you will have the opportunity to engage with several ORC industrial partners to increase the impact of your work. 

Furthermore, you will present your work both in leading academic journals and in oral presentations at the most renowned conferences all over the world, which will allow you to engage with and learn from the best researchers worldwide.

In the first year of your PhD, a structured training program will run along with the research project, which will allow a gradual transition from a taught degree to independent research.

For all these reasons, at the end of your PhD you will be ready to undertake a successful career as a top research scientist or business leader both in academia and in industry. Many former PhD graduates at the ORC have become academic or industry leading scientists. 

Requirements and key facts

•  We are looking for bright graduates with a background in physics, material science, computer science, engineering or chemistry. First or upper second-class degree (or equivalent) is required.
•  Applications are welcome all the year long. The starting date is typically October but a different date might be acceptable.
•  The duration for a full-time PhD is typically 3.5 years.
•  Assessment: reports at the 9 and 18-month stage and an oral examination to determine progression to PhD, which is awarded after thesis submission and viva voce examination
• For further  information: please contact Dr. Massimiliano Guasoni (m.guasoni@soton.ac.uk). 

To apply for this  PhD project: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/postgraduate/pgstudy/howdoiapplypg.html 

 Funding

An attractive package is offered to UK graduates with full tuition funding plus a salary of £18,000 p.a, up to 3.5 years.