X-ray science research receives grant funding

	Scattering pattern illustrates large angle scattering

Research into X-ray science at Southampton’s Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) has been given a boost thanks to the award of an Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate grant.

ORC is a partner in the EXTATIC programme that brings together leading European universities in the X-ray field to offer PhD level training in extreme ultraviolet and X-ray science.

The Erasmus Mundus award will see £3.6m of funding injected into the consortium over the next five years.

Southampton’s ORC has been awarded about £300,000 from the grant over the five years that will fund at least five PhD studentships working in ultrafast soft X-ray science.

Each student will work on a project shared between two institutions and will spend at least six months of their PhD at the partner organisation.

X-Ray image of FIB (Focused Ion Beam) sample

Every year the Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate PhD students will also gather together for a summer school in X-ray science to exchange ideas and best practice and achieve a real sense of coherence across the project.

Principal Investigator Dr Bill Brocklesby, a Reader at the ORC, said: 
“This grant is a fantastic opportunity for us to work with other leading institutions in the field of X-ray science across Europe to develop coherent high-level training across a whole range of extreme ultraviolet and X-ray science, with applications including X-ray microscopes, next generation chip fabrication, and therapeutic medicine ”

Southampton’s first funded PhD student is Johannes Hauck from the University of Aachen, in Germany. He will work jointly with the German university on imaging in the extreme ultraviolet using a new technique for high-resolution X-ray microscopy called coherent diffractive imaging.

Erasmus Mundus is a European Commission initiative that aims to enhance quality in higher education through scholarships and academic co-operation between Europe and the rest of the world.

Find out more about the work of our Ultrafast X-ray research group.

Find out more about the EXTACTIC programme