PhD: Spectrally Pure Topological Microcombs

This PhD project is part of a funded collaboration with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), designed for a highly motivated and innovative early-career researcher to build strong skills in experimental and theoretical photonics and optics.

The goal is to develop extremely low-noise optical sources (microcombs) for precision timing applications. Leveraging recent advances in topological states and nonlinear optics, the system will generate ultrastable combs in a compact form. These objectives align with the Quantum National Strategy by building practical, metrology-ready microcombs, essential for the development of portable quantum timing devices.

The Emergent Photonics Research Centre is a 700 m² university facility dedicated to complexity in photonics, spanning ultrafast photonics, optical frequency combs in microresonators, AI for photonics, and terahertz technologies. The Centre hosts a multi-million-pound portfolio of equipment and research grants from funders including the ERC, EPSRC, DSTL, Innovate UK, and The Leverhulme Trust, with several early-career fellowships and PhD studentships.

During the course of the studentship, the student would be expected to complete two six-month placements at NPL. This research aligns with the UK Quantum Missions—targeting ultraprecise clock distribution (QT Mission 4: positioning, navigation, and timing; QT Mission 5: network synchronisation)—and is funded by the project UKRI Industrial Doctoral Landscape Awards (IDLA) Partnership: Spectrally Pure Topological Microcombs.

Related projects include: UK Hub for Quantum-Enabled Position, Navigation and Timing (QEPNT) – Glasgow-led. EPSRC Programme Grant – Chip-Scale Atomic Systems for a Quantum Navigator. STFC-NSERC UK-Canada MICROQ – a Loughborough–INRS initiative on microcombs for quantum networking. The NPL Quantum Programme - Supporting the UK through test and evalution.

You will join Prof Alessia Pasquazi’s (Loughborough) and Dr Jacob Tunesi’s (NPL) teams, contributing to leading-author publications and international presentations.

Funding: Fully funded. The UKRI/NPL studentship is for 4 years and provides a tax-free stipend of £25,555 per annum (consisting of £21,805 UKRI funding plus £3,750 industry top-up) plus tuition fees at UK or International rate. Funding for conference travel, lab materials, and a placement at an industry partner is also available.