optical PhD Projects, Programs & Scholarships

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Wavelength division multiplexed（WDM）optical transceivers and semiconductor optical amplifiers have been highly engineered for use within optical fibre networking and are a key enabling technologies that are at the heart of our optical communications systems.

PhD - Advanced optical systems for terabit free-space communications (Huawei Technologies Sweden AB)

Heriot-Watt University
School of Engineering & Physical Sciences

Research Group: CDT in Applied Photonics

Prof D Reid, Dr M P J Lavery

Application Deadline: 31 May 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Next generation mobile communications networks, such as 6G will revolutionise the way we interact with technology, enabling super high-speed connections to our mobile devices.

Doctor of Engineering (EngD): Hybrid Optical-Digital Coherence Tomography

Heriot-Watt University
School of Engineering & Physical Sciences

Research Group: CDT in Applied Photonics

Prof D Reid, Dr T Vettenburg

Application Deadline: 31 May 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Optos Plc is a leading provider of diagnostic devices for the eyecare professional. Since 2015, Optos became a part of Nikon, and today the company has offices worldwide in 4 continents.

PhD: Atmospheric monitoring for next generation cable free optical communication technologies (British Telecom)

Heriot-Watt University
School of Engineering & Physical Sciences

Research Group: CDT in Applied Photonics

Prof D Reid, Dr M P J Lavery

Application Deadline: 31 May 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Cable-free optical communication systems are vital for building the communication networks of the future. Traditionally wireless connections have been based on radio or microwave systems.

Doctor of Engineering (EngD): Active 2-dimensional optical meta-surfaces (STMicroelectronics (R&D) Ltd)

Heriot-Watt University
School of Engineering & Physical Sciences

Research Group: CDT in Applied Photonics

Prof D Reid, Dr X Chen

Application Deadline: 31 May 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This research project has funding attached. It is only available to UK citizens or those who have been resident in the UK for a period of 3 years or more. Some projects, which are funded by charities or by the universities themselves may have more stringent restrictions.

Project Description. The market for high contrast diffractive gratings is growing rapidly as active sensing of 3D scenes becomes a dominant feature in modern consumer electronics.

Doctoral Training in Optical Neurophysiology

Imperial College London
Department of Bioengineering

Dr A Foust

Application Deadline: 1 October 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

-----------------Requirements:-----------------. The Optical Neurophysiology Laboratory, lead by Dr.

New Optical Components and Optical Amplifiers Development for Future High Speed Internet

University of Southampton
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Research Group: Fibre & Systems Group

Prof D Richardson

Application Deadline: 31 August 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

Supervisor. Professor David Richardson. Co-supervisor Dr Yongmin Jung. Project description.

Optical frequency combs and hollow core fibres for photonics-based generation and manipulation of ultra-wide bandwidth signals

University of Southampton
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Research Group: Fibre & Systems Group

Dr R Slavik

Application Deadline: 31 August 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

Supervisor. Professor Radan Slavik. Co-supervisor Professor David J. Richardson. Project description.

PhD on solitons in microresonator based optical frequency combs

University of Sussex
School of Mathematical & Physical Sciences

Dr A Pasquazi

Application Deadline: 1 August 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Miniaturised atomic clocks in a portable format are expected to change the way we access to timing, positioning and navigation. They are a fundamental building block for the new generation of quantum sensors and could play a key role in making our society resilient to GPS spoofing and jamming.

Aerospace optical sensors (GE Aviation)

University of Southampton
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Research Group: Photonic Systems Circuits & Sensors

Dr C Holmes

Application Deadline: 1 July 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

Supervisor. Dr Christopher Holmes, Prof Ling Wang. Project description. Sensors are crucial components for flight. In addition to providing information to the flight crew, they are increasingly providing information for Artificial Intelligence systems, in order to predict and thus avoid faults.

Beaming light in new directions - metasurfaces for tuneable control of optics: All-dielectric beam control using dynamically-tuneable metasurfaces

University of Exeter
College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences

Prof C D Wright, Dr I.J. Luxmore

Application Deadline: 31 May 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This research project has funding attached. It is only available to UK citizens or those who have been resident in the UK for a period of 3 years or more. Some projects, which are funded by charities or by the universities themselves may have more stringent restrictions.

Joint supervisors. Prof C David Wright and Dr Isaac Luxmoore. ***. In recent years, electromagnetic metasurfaces have generated huge interest due to their ability for precise control of the amplitude, phase and polarisation of waves, from the microwave region right through to the optical part of the spectrum.

Optical decoherence and coherent coupling of excitons in quantum dots embedded in photonic cavities

Cardiff University
Cardiff School of Physics and Astronomy

Research Group: Condensed Matter and Photonics

Dr E Muljarov, Prof W W Langbein

Application Deadline: 31 May 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

This project in theoretical physics aims to study the coherent dynamics of optical excitations (excitons) in single and multiple semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) strongly coupled to photonic cavities.

Optical Communications for Small Satellites

University of Auckland
Department of Physics

Dr N Rattenbury, Dr J Cater

Applications accepted all year round

Funding Type

PhD Type

Awaiting Funding Decision/Possible External Funding

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This supervisor does not yet know if funding is available for this project, or they intend to apply for external funding once a suitable candidate is selected. Applications are welcome - please see project details for further information.

The Faculties of Science and Engineering are jointly developing a space systems programme at The University of Auckland.

Ultra-stable fibre optics using new-generation optical fibres

University of Southampton
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Dr R Slavik

Application Deadline: 31 August 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities.

Supervisor. Professor Radan Slavik. Co-supervisor Professor Francesco Poletti, Dr. Eric R. Numkam Fokoua. Project description.

Doctor of Engineering (Eng D): Ultra-High-Q Integrated Optical Microresonators for Frequency Comb Generation (NPL)

Heriot-Watt University
School of Engineering & Physical Sciences

Research Group: CDT in Applied Photonics

Prof D Reid, Prof M Sorel

Application Deadline: 31 May 2020

Funding Type

PhD Type

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Integrated photonics is a major emerging technological field with the potential for massive impact on the biomedical, security, defence, transportation, telecoms and other sectors.