PhD: Spectrally Pure Topological Microcombs
About the Role
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.
About You
Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 Honours degree (or equivalent). We welcome applications from exceptional students with STEM backgrounds (physics, engineering, applied mathematics, advanced mechanics) intersecting with photonics.
Link to apply:About Us
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is a world-leading centre of excellence that provides cutting-edge measurement science, engineering and technology to underpin prosperity and quality of life in the UK. Find out more about what it is like working here - The measure of us - Overview
NPL and DSIT have strong commitments to diversity and equality of opportunity, and welcome applications from candidates irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or age, providing they meet the required criteria. Applications from women, disabled and black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates in particular are encouraged. All disabled candidates (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) who satisfy the minimum criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme. At NPL, we believe our success is a result of the diversity and talent of our people. We strive to nurture and respect individuals to ensure everyone feels valued by treating everyone on the basis of their own individual merits and abilities regardless of their own or perceived identity, as part of our commitment to diversity & inclusion, we ensure we’re creating an environment where all our colleagues feel supported and welcome. More about this on our Diversity & Inclusion page. We are committed to the health and well-being of our employees. Flexible working and social activities are embedded in our culture to create a positive work-life balance, along with a broad range of rewards, benefits and recognition . Our values are at the heart of what we do, and they shape the way we interact, develop our people and celebrate success. To ensure everyone has an equal chance, we’re always willing to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss, please contact us.
Recommended Jobs
Senior Strategy Manager
Informa is a leading academic publishing, business intelligence, knowledge, and events business, creating unique content and connectivity for customers all over the world. It is listed on the Lon…
Business Applications & Support Apprentice
Location: Hammersmith, London, 5 days per week (minimum of 3 days per week in the office) ⏳ Duration: 18-month apprenticeship programme Applications close: Monday 5 October 2026 Assessme…
Senior Cloud Security Engineer (GCP) - Engine by Starling
At Engine by Starling , we are on a mission to find and work with leading banks all around the world who have the ambition to build rapid growth businesses, on our technology. Engine is Starling…
Lead Cloud Infrastructure Engineer
Do you want to be a part of a team that builds and maintains the computing platform that powers a leading software company in the autonomous vehicle space? As a Lead Cloud Infrastructure Engineer, y…
Audit Senior
Audit Senior £40,000 – £50,000 Sutton Full Time, Permanent Ref: 890885 We are recruiting for an Audit Senior to join the expanding team of a successful and growing accountancy firm. The ideal ca…
Occupational Therapist - Adults and Older People's Review
Are you an experienced HCPC-registered Occupational Therapist looking for your next locum opportunity within Adult Social Care? We are currently recruiting for an Occupational Therapist to join the…
Senior Customer Success Manager
Hi We’re Legl. Legl is building the operating system for modern legal services. We help law firms and regulated businesses replace manual, fragmented workflows with intelligent software from …
Occupational Therapy Practitioner
An exciting new job opportunity has arisen for a committed Occupational Therapist to work in an exceptional mental health hospital based in the Romford, Essex area. You will be working for one of UK'…
Director of Sales (German speaking) - Mobile Ad Tech
German speaking Sales Director – Mobile AdTech One of the fastest growing Mobile AdTech business is currently seeking Director of Sales (German speaking) to lead their expansion in Central Europe…
.NET Developer
.NET Developer - Global Phenomenon - London (Tech stack: .NET Developer, .NET 10.0, ASP.NET Core, C# 14, .NET Aspire, CI/CD, Azure DevOps, EF Core 10.0, Agile, HTML Living Standard, CSS Living Standa…