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  Silicon Photonics for Methane Emissions Reduction


   Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

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  Dr Milos Nedeljkovic  Applications accepted all year round  Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

About the Project

Supervisory Team:   Supervisor: Dr Milos Nedeljkovic

Co-Supervisors: Professor Goran Mashanovich, Professor Matthew Mowlem

Project description

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas whose emissions have caused about 30% of global heating to date. At COP-26 a multinational alliance of 105 countries pledged to cut their methane emissions by 30% in the next decade, because it is thought to be the most effective way to reduce near-term global warming. One of the most important levers for doing so will be to reduce natural gas leakage from fossil fuel production infrastructure, but to achieve this new low-cost technologies for immediately detecting the leaks will be needed.

The aim of this project will be to develop photonic integrated circuits for methane sensing, operating at mid-infrared wavelengths where the gas strongly absorbs light. It will involve 1) evaluating photonic circuit architectures for different sensing scenarios, 2) designing electro-optic devices and circuits through simulation, 3) fabricating them in Southampton’s world class cleanroom, 4) experimentally measuring their performance, and 5) implementing opto-electronic signal processing for extracting data from the sensors.

We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate with a background in electronics, physics or photonics. The applicant would join a cutting-edge research group in the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton, and work in the state-of-the-art cleanroom facilities and photonic device characterisation laboratories at the ORC. They would work in cooperation with postdoctoral researchers employed on the £5.8 million project “MISSION” (Mid- Infrared Silicon Photonic Sensors for Healthcare and Environmental Monitoring), and with academic and industrial collaborators with interests in gas sensing.

You can find out more about the supervisors for this project at their personal pages below:

Milos: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/people/5xc7tv/doctor-milos-nedeljkovic

Goran: https://zepler.soton.ac.uk/people/gm1a11

Matthew: https://noc.ac.uk/n/Matthew+Mowlem

More information about the wider Silicon Photonics Group at UoS can be found here:

https://www.southampton.ac.uk/research/institutes-centres/silicon-photonics

If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Dr Milos Nedeljkovic, Silicon Photonics Research Group, Email: [Email Address Removed].

Entry Requirements

A very good undergraduate degree (at least a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent) in electronic engineering, physics or chemistry. We will consider applicants from other subject areas that can demonstrate relevant expertise.

Closing date

Applications are accepted throughout the year. The start date will typically be late September, but other dates are possible.

Funding

For UK students, tuition fees and a stipend at the UKRI rate plus £2,000 ORC enhancement tax-free per annum for up to 3.5 years (totalling around £21,000 for 2024/25, rising annually). EU and Horizon Europe students are eligible for scholarships. CSC students are eligible for fee waivers. Funding for other international applicants is very limited and highly competitive. Overseas students who have secured or are seeking external funding are welcome to apply.

How To Apply

Apply online: Search for a Postgraduate Programme of Study (soton.ac.uk). Select programme type (Research), Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, next page select “PhD ORC”. In Section 2 of the application form you should insert the name of the supervisor.

Applications should include:

Curriculum Vitae

Two reference letters

Degree Transcripts/Certificates to date

For further information please contact: [Email Address Removed]

Chemistry (6) Computer Science (8) Engineering (12) Physics (29)

Where will I study?

 About the Project