Fibre & Systems Group

Location:  Highfield Campus
Salary:   £32,348 to £51,805 per annum
Full Time Fixed Term for 3 years
Closing Date:  Wednesday 07 September 2022
Interview Date:   To be confirmed
Reference:  1926122PN

Standard multi-kW fibre lasers are now routinely produced by manufacturers worldwide and are widely used in the most advanced production lines for cutting, welding, 3D printing, and marking of a myriad of materials from glass to steel. The ability to precisely control the properties of the output laser beam and to focus it on the workpiece makes high-power fibre lasers (HPFLs) indispensable to modern manufacturing. As we enter the Digital Manufacturing/Industry 4.0 era however, new challenges and opportunities for HPFLs are emerging.

The primary objective of this 5-year project is to move beyond the “fixed” fibre lasers that are currently used in manufacturing, and towards “smart” fibre lasers that are automatically reconfigured and optimised in real-time depending on the application. This ambitious objective requires research breakthroughs across the spectrum of fibre laser development, from the development of new fibre core materials, to addressing limits imposed by SBS and TMI, to high-speed beam and polarisation shaping, to multi-channel kW level energy delivery, and finally using deep learning to solve the complexity challenge associated with coherent beam combination.

You will join a project team of eight PDRAs, over 5 years, focussed on delivering the next generation of HPFLs. You will have access to the state-of-the-art Zepler Institute Cleanroom Facilities (http://www.zeplerinstitute.com/facilities), and be led by a team of world leading experts in the fibre laser and deep learning domain. Overall project management will be provided by Prof Michalis Zervas.

The objective of this specific project is to develop the materials to overcome the limitations of current high power fibre lasers and provide the passive and active silica fibres needed to meet the stringent requirements for unlocking the next paradigm in high power fibre lasers. This will involve exploring novel material combinations and fibre structures for tackling nonlinear effects and developing new techniques for fabricating high-birefringence polarisation maintaining fibres. This project will make strong use of the fibre fabrication facilities at the ORC and your skills should reflect this, for example through strong practical laboratory experience.

It is expected that you will hold a PhD or equivalent professional qualifications and experience in photonics or optoelectronics. We are currently recruiting for six PDRA positions for different tasks of the project, and we encourage applicants with a combination of the above skills, across experimental and theoretical domains, to apply. Positions will be initially available for three years, with the possibility of extension to five years. Whilst you should apply for the most appropriate position, if unsuccessful we may consider you for a different role. Each of the advertised positions are available either as a Research Fellow or a Senior Research Fellow, depending on the experience and expertise of the candidate.

Experience with MCVD/OVD/VAD based fibre fabrication techniques would be highly beneficial for this position.

*Applications for Research Fellow positions will be considered from candidates who are working towards or nearing completion of a relevant PhD qualification. The title of Research Fellow will be applied upon successful completion of the PhD. Prior to the qualification being awarded the title of Senior Research Assistant will be given.

We encourage women, Black, Asian and other minority ethnic, LGBTQ and disabled applicants to apply for this position.  We value diversity and inclusion at the University and aspire for our staff population to be broadly representative of our community. In recognition of our continued commitment to improving equality for women in science we were awarded an Athena SWAN Bronze. Full consideration to flexible working including part-time and due consideration will be given to applicants who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy** and onsite childcare facilities along with other benefits such as the cycle to work scheme.

The University of Southampton is in the top 1% of world universities and in the top 10 of the UK’s research-intensive universities. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and being a globally responsible university and has recently been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.  This commits all of our staff and students to take responsibility for managing their activities to minimise harm to the environment, whether this through switching off non-essential electrical equipment or using the recycling facilities.

**subject to qualifying criteria

To informally discuss the position, please contact Dr Ben Mills. Email: bm602@orc.soton.ac.uk

Application Procedure 

You should submit your completed online application form at https://jobs.soton.ac.uk. The application deadline will be midnight on the closing date stated above. If you need any assistance, please call Lauren Ward (Recruitment Team) on +44 (0) 23 8059 2750, or email recruitment@soton.ac.uk. Please quote reference 1926122PN on all correspondence.