University of Southampton
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PhD in Wafer-scale Co-designed Metasurface-PIC Platform for Free-space Optical I/O and Sensing University of Southampton in United Kingdom
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
Electrical Engineering
Funding
Competition funded PhD project. Funding details are not specified in the post, but the project is presented as funded and includes access to training and facilities at the University of Southampton.
Deadline
Feb 2, 2027
Country
United Kingdom
University
University of Southampton
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About this position
PhD project at the University of Southampton on wafer-scale co-designed metasurface-PIC platforms for free-space optical I/O and sensing.
This postgraduate research project sits in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences and focuses on the co-design of metasurfaces and integrated photonic circuits (PICs) for compact beam-shaping interfaces. The research aims to support free-space optical communication, chip-to-chip interconnects, sensing, and potential applications in LiDAR and optical interconnects.
The project will develop electromagnetic design methods for functions such as focusing, collimation, and beam steering. It will study how guided optical fields, coupling structures, and metasurface geometry can be engineered together to achieve desired beam properties while accounting for polarisation, optical bandwidth, alignment errors, and fabrication variation.
Students will fabricate and characterise selected devices, validate models experimentally, and build a demonstrator for free-space optical I/O or sensing. The expected outcome is a validated design framework and reusable metasurface-PIC components suitable for inclusion in a process design kit (PDK).
Training includes photonic and optical modelling using Ansys Lumerical, COMSOL Multiphysics, and Zemax, plus cleanroom training, optical measurements, silicon photonic chip testing, optical alignment, fibre-to-chip coupling, and device characterisation.
Entry requirement: a 2:1 honours degree or equivalent. The project is competition funded. The closing date is 2 February 2027.
Applicants should use the University of Southampton postgraduate research application route and review the full project and funding information before applying.
Funding details
Competition funded PhD project. Funding details are not specified in the post, but the project is presented as funded and includes access to training and facilities at the University of Southampton.
What's required
Applicants should have a 2:1 honours degree or equivalent. The project is suited to candidates with interest in photonics, optical modelling, integrated photonic circuits, metasurfaces, cleanroom fabrication, and experimental device characterisation. Training will be provided in Ansys Lumerical, COMSOL Multiphysics, Zemax, optical measurements, fibre-to-chip coupling, and silicon photonic chip testing.
How to apply
Review the project details and full entry requirements on the University of Southampton page, then apply through the postgraduate research application process linked from the project page. Check the funding and fees section before submitting your application. Submit before the closing date.
More information can be found here
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