All PhD Projects:
Supervisory Team: Dr Ian Davidson, Prof Francesco Poletti, Dr Ghafour Amouzad Mahdiraji
Are you a graduate student in Physics/Engineering/Material Science or chemistry and want to be at the forefront of a technological revolution? If so, we invite you to join our collaborative project with Microsoft Azure Fiber at the University of Southampton.
Fibre optics has been the backbone of the internet revolution, transforming telecommunications over the past 50 years. However, it has reached its fundamental limits. Now, a transformative new technology is emerging - Hollow Core Fibres (HCF). Guiding light through the delicate glass microstructure of an air-filled HCF, this technology has the potential to redefine how data is transferred across the globe, offering reduced attenuation and increased transmission speed.
As part of our well-funded group and cohesive team, you will have the opportunity to work alongside experienced researchers to explore new HCF designs that could represent the future of data transmission. This PhD project aims to fabricate novel fibres and collaborate with our partners at Microsoft Azure Fiber, owners of one of the world’s largest global communication networks, to jointly create the future of data communications. Besides, applications of the revolutionary fibres in quantum photonics, space exploration, high energy physics and nuclear fusion will also be explored with existing collaborators worldwide.
In this project, you will delve into the physics and advanced fabrication techniques of state-of-the-art HCFs, exploring their fascinating optical properties. You will become an expert in both the fabrication and characterisation of HCFs, developing a high level of understanding of fibre optics and optical communications. You will have the opportunity to operate state-of-the-art fabrication equipment in an advanced cleanroom, and work with external partners to maximise the impact of your work.
Supervisory Team: Dr Ian Davidson, Dr Ghafour Amouzad Mahdiraji, Prof Francesco Poletti
Are 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”.
This pioneering project aims to develop custom Hollow Core Fibres (HCFs) for use in quantum computers, quantum repeaters and memories, and quantum communications. It leverages the ultra-low nonlinearity of the hollow core fibre and its ability to achieve low loss at wavelengths where efficient single photon sources and detectors exist, away from telecoms wavelengths of 1550 nm.
As a PhD candidate, you will:
Supervisory Team: Dr Ghafour Amouzad Mahdiraji, Dr Gregory Jasion, Prof Francesco Poletti
Do you aspire to contribute to the forthcoming AI revolution? If so, 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 called “FASTNET”.
This innovative project aims to develop low latency Hollow Core Fibres (HCFs) customised to improve the training speed of increasingly more powerful large language models (LLM), evolving from GPT4. This is a pioneering field with immense potential for technological advancement in the rapidly expanding field of AI. Faster and high-bandwidth underlying optical networks are essential, and HCFs have the potential to deliver unparalleled speed.
As a PhD candidate, you will:
We are seeking candidates with a strong interest in AI, optics, and a keen desire to learn more about hollow core fibres. Candidates must have a background in physics/engineering/material science and an interest in glass science and fibre optics. Through this project, you will not only develop custom HCFs for AI applications but will also deliver new ways of understanding the fundamental physics of how these fibres work, and how the design parameters influence the performance of these fibres.
Supervisory Team: Dr Greg Jasion, Dr Greg Jackson, Prof Francesco Poletti
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).
HCFs guide light in an air core through a delicately designed microstructure, allowing light to travel faster, with less degradation and more power than traditional glass fibres. These fibres have real-world applications ranging from data-centres to industrial machining lasers, and the fibres designed in this project could span oceans, deliver quantum communications or monitor fusion reactors.
Over the last 5 years, we have led a rapid transformation of these fibres. However, as the fibre designs have become more complex and the number of design parameters has increased, we now aim to harness the power of AI to rapidly explore a vast range of design spaces to discover designs for the next generation of Hollow Core fibre.
During this project, you will:
We are looking for candidates with a strong interest in AI and its applications in design optimisation tasks. This project will not only develop machine learning frameworks to design better hollow core fibres but will also deliver new ways of understanding the fundamental physics of how these fibres work, and how the design parameters influence the performance of these fibres.
Supervisory Team: Austin Taranta, Dr Natalie Wheeler, Prof Radan Slavik, Prof Francesco Poletti
Are 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.
This research project aims to develop the next generation of space flight instruments and control systems using hollow core optical fibres (HCF). In this project, you will develop advanced HCFs for space deployment and discover new realms for the application of optical physics. You will work closely with space agencies and industrial partners at the forefront of spaceflight technologies to develop new inertial sensors for space navigation and new gas sensors for space-based atmospheric monitoring.
As a PhD candidate, you will:
• Develop custom HCFs for use in gyroscopes, gas sensors, and other space systems.
• Collaborate with NASA, ESA, or UKSA and industrial partners at the forefront of space systems in the UK and USA.
• Create new technologies and develop systems that will one day orbit the earth, or reach other planets
We are seeking candidates with a strong interest in optics and a desire to contribute to future space systems. Candidates must have a background in physics, engineering, or material science. This project will explore many facets of optical fibre sensing, gas sensing, and space environment effects (ionizing radiation, cosmic rays).
Supervisory Team: Dr Natalie Wheeler, Dr Peter Horak, Dr Ian Davidson
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.
The key element of our novel gas sensor is a specialty fibre known as hollow core optical fibre. Within our group we work on all aspects of these fibres, including design and fabrication. Hollow core fibres are an exciting platform for gas-light interactions as they can be filled with the target gas sample to provide a huge interaction length between the confined gas molecules and the guided light. The sensor will detect Raman scattered light from the gas sample contained in the hollow core fibre which will provide a unique spectral fingerprint of the target gas.
In this project you will have the opportunity to learn how to design and simulate the properties of these fibres as well as to develop hands-on experience of fibre characterisation and applications. We will work closely with an industrial partner, and you will spend time working with them to develop a prototype instrument in their facilities. This will provide you with first-hand experience of how academic research can translate into a commercial product and maximise the impact of your research. You will also have opportunities to present your work at international conferences and publish in academic journals.
In the first year of your PhD, a structured training programme runs alongside the research project, providing a gradual transition from taught degree to open-ended research. Students present their work at international conferences, first-author papers in leading academic journals and emerge with skills at the forefront of glass and fibre optics research. Former PhD researchers have made successful careers in universities worldwide or as industry scientists and business leaders.
Supervisory Team: Dr Natalie Wheeler, Dr Ian Davidson, Dr Qiang Fu
In this project we will develop hollow-core optical fibres (HCFs) for mid-infrared laser delivery. HCFs offer a radically new solution for laser delivery as they guide light in a gas-filled core, instead of the glass in conventional optical fibres. HCF-based mid-infrared laser delivery systems could open exciting possibilities for diverse and valuable applications, including advanced medicine (e.g., novel surgical treatments), gas sensing to protect the environment and new materials processing.
Your role will include fibre development, characterisation, and integration within a power delivery system tailored for medical and industrial applications.
We have a growing research team, which design, fabricate and characterise state-of-the-art HCFs in our specialist cleanrooms and labs. In this specific project you will develop:
These solutions will be tailored for emerging industrial and medical applications, including:
1) High-performance laser additive manufacturing
A HCF-integrated laser system will have enhanced precision and control for applications in rapid prototyping and complex part fabrication with improved accuracy and detail, creating components for aerospace, automotive, and medical devices.
2) High-precision surgery
A new fibre beam delivery system for therapeutic mid-infrared lasers will be developed to enhance system robustness and flexibility, to reduce cost, enable minimally invasive surgery and improve patient outcomes.
You will collaborate within an interdisciplinary team working across photonics, medicine, chemistry and industry and work with experienced photonics researchers (>20 group members) and external partners (e.g., biomedical researchers/surgeons from the University Hospital and chemists) to maximise the impact of your work.
In the first year of your PhD, a structured training programme runs alongside the research project, providing a gradual transition from taught degree to open-ended research. Students present their work at international conferences, first-author papers in leading academic journals and emerge with skills at the forefront of glass and fibre optics research. Former PhD researchers have made successful careers in universities worldwide or as industry scientists and business leaders.
Supervisory Team: Dr Natalie Wheeler, Prof Radan Slavík, Dr Martynas Beresna
We are looking for a new PhD student to join our growing team, working on the design and development of next generation optical fibres to enable novel distributed gas sensing networks. Key applications include environmental and industrial process monitoring.
In our recently funded project, we are combining our expertise in novel fibre development, laser machining and distributed measurements in order to develop a new gas sensor which will enable fast detection of gas leaks (e.g., methane) with high spatial resolution, to reduce fugitive emissions and help combat global warming.
We are looking for a student with a background in Physics, Chemistry or Engineering. You will enjoy problem-solving, developing creative solutions and have a passion for experimental work with an enthusiasm to work on an emerging technology from early lab-based experiments into prototype development for field-tests with our partners.
In the first year of your PhD, a structured training programme runs alongside the research project, providing a gradual transition from taught degree to open-ended research. Students present their work at international conferences, first-author papers in leading academic journals and emerge with skills at the forefront of glass and fibre optics research. Former PhD researchers have made successful careers in universities worldwide or as industry scientists and business leaders.