PhD Studentship: Topological Metamaterials for Optical Wave Control

Supervisory Team: Dongyang Wang, Nikolay Zheludev 

Project Description:

The Project

Topological photonics is a rising field of research that implements topological ideas with optical materials. Such topological materials support unidirectional or defect-immune electromagnetic wave propagation, which is favoured by future photonic technologies. This project will explore novel topological transport based on metamaterial or nanostructure design, aiming to deliver recipes for building topological optical devices. 

Our Research Group

You will join a strong international team of students, postdoctoral and academic staff working together on aspects of cutting-edge nanophotonics research – seeking to understand, control and utilize 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.

Our work is supported by major nanophotonics research grants from the EPSRC (£5.5M) and the European Research Council (€2.6M).

You will have opportunity to develop advanced skills in experimental photonics, computational electromagnetic modelling, application of machine learning and AI, electron and optical microscopy, and nanofabrication.

It is expected that students will publish several papers in leading academic journals and present their work at major international conferences, as their research progresses.

For further information see: http://www.nanophotonics.org.uk/niz/ 

The Optoelectronics Research Centre

The ORC is a world-leading photonics research organization. With over 90 state-of-the-art laboratories and a diverse community of around 200 researchers working in all areas of optics and photonics, it provides an outstanding interdisciplinary environment for students to grow.

Our extensive training programme provides knowledge and skills through photonics lectures, training for report writing, project management, time management, presentation skills and full safety training for your research area. These are all essential life skills for the next step in your career.

For further information see: http://www.orc.soton.ac.uk/phd 

Entry Requirements

A very good undergraduate degree (at least a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent). 

Closing Date: 31 August 2024. Applications will be considered in the order that they are received, the position will be considered filled when a suitable candidate has been identified. 

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). We offer a range of funding opportunities for both UK and international students, including Bursaries and Scholarships. For more information please visit PhD Scholarships | Doctoral College | University of Southampton  Funding will be awarded on a rolling basis, so apply early for the best opportunity to be considered. 

How To Apply

Apply online: HERE Select programme type (Research), 2024/25, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, next page select “PhD ORC (Full time)”. In Section 2 of the application form you should insert the name of the supervisor Dongyang Wang 

Applications should include:

Research Proposal

Curriculum Vitae

Two reference letters

Degree Transcripts/Certificates to date 

For further information please contact: feps-pgr-apply@soton.ac.uk

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