Hybrid Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems

In this project we will hybridize nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS) with liquid crystals to create smart, dynamically adaptable (field-programmable) optical materials and sensors.

You will join a strong international team of students, postdoctoral and academic staff working together on aspects of cutting-edge nanophotonics research – seeking to control light and light-matter interactions at the sub-wavelengths scale. A remarkable range of new phenomena is found in this regime, with wide-ranging potential applications in, for example, telecommunications, metrology, sensing, defence, super-resolution imaging, and data storage.
The project will present opportunity to develop advanced skills in experimental photonics, computational electromagnetic modelling, and nanofabrication.



The PhD Programme

http://www.orc.soton.ac.uk/phd

The Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) is a world-leading photonics research organization of around 200 research staff and students, famous for the development of novel photonic technologies underpinned by cutting-edge research in materials. The ORC PhD provides a solid education for a research career. The first year combines a structured training programme with your research project, to provide a smooth transition from your degree course towards the more flexible research that takes place in subsequent years under the guidance of your project supervisors. We expect our students to present their work at international conferences and to write papers in leading academic journals as their research progresses. Students will emerge from the PhD with skills at the forefront of future fibre laser research and will benefit from the many opportunities to interact with the wider community of PhD students across the Southampton Campus.



Key facts

Entry requirements: first or upper second-class degree or equivalent in physics, electronic engineering, chemistry or materials science;
Start date: typically September/October;
Assessment: 9-and 18-month reports and viva voce determine progression; Final viva voce thesis examination.