Postgraduate research opportunities Chip-scale atomic platforms for timing and sensing
ApplyKey facts
- Opens: Friday 1 November 2024
- Deadline: Friday 7 February 2025
- Number of places: 1
- Duration: 4 years
- Funding: Equipment costs, Home fee, International fee, Stipend, Travel costs
Overview
This 4-year PhD project is part of the EPSRC-funded Centre for Doctoral Training in Applied Quantum Technologies. As well as completing a PhD project in an aligned topic, CDT students will also benefit from technical and skills-based training in all aspects of quantum technologies.Eligibility
All applicants must have or expect to obtain a first-class or second-class honours degree, or equivalent, in a relevant subject OR have or expect to obtain a Masters degree.

Project Details
The separation of atomic energy levels provides previously unobtainable accuracy and precision in metrology, with a système international (SI) traceable reference to frequency and length, which are intrinsically tied to the definition of other SI units such as temperature and voltage. Instrumentation that utilises atomic spectroscopy for metrology remain at the state-of-the-art for atomic clocks, magnetometers and wavelength references. On-chip atomic systems offer a simplicity and design versatility that has found application in the measurement of physical quantities such as time, length, magnetic field, and rotation, finding commercial deployment in navigation, medicine, surveyance and communication. However, the performance trade-offs made to scale down these early proof-of-principle apparatus have largely hindered the capabilities of field deployable atomic sensors. The proposed research will facilitate the needs of a growing quantum technology market through the development of comprehensive chip-scale platforms that are adaptable to a plethora of field-deployable sensing applications.
The research within this project is focused on the miniaturisation of cold-atom systems for chip-scale position navigation and timing. The project will investigate the integration of micro-fabricated components for laser cooling, such as micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) vacuum cells for cold atom physics [1,2]. This study will evaluate cell pressure and alkali density longevity as we explore new mechanisms for mass producibility and vapour cell isolation. This technology is built upon previous research our team has led over the past decade, where microfabricated cold and thermal atom systems have been fabricated and used in the construction of atomic wavelength references [2,3] and clocks. Beyond the platform engineering, the project will utilise the chip-scale platform for microwave atomic clock measurements, with an outlook to fully integrated approach to cold atom metrology. The hybridised micro-engineering and atomic metrology research of this project advances the state-of-art in chip-scale capabilities while providing a sovereign lab-on-a-chip research programme.
Further information
EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Applied Quantum Technologies
Funding details
The funding provided for these fully funded PhDs will include four years of both tuition fees and monthly stipend payments.
Fully funded studentships are available at the UK home rate and international rate.
Home Students
To be eligible for a fully funded UK home studentship you must:
- Be a UK national or UK/EU dual national or non-UK national with settled status / pre-settled status / indefinite leave to remain / indefinite leave to enter / discretionary leave / EU migrant worker in the UK or non-UK national with a claim for asylum or the family member of such a person, and
- Have ordinary residence in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or British Overseas Territory, at the Point of Application, and
- Have three years residency in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, British Overseas Territory or EEA before the relevant date of application unless residency outside of the UK/ EEA has been of a temporary nature only and of a period less than six years
International Students
There are a limited number of international studentships for exceptional candidates who do not meet the UK home status mentioned above.
Candidates should check if they require an ATAS certificate; eligible nationalities are listed on GOV.UK (UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office).
International candidates whose first language is not English must demonstrate their proficiency in the English language with IELTS certification or equivalent.
While there is no funding in place for opportunities marked "unfunded", there are lots of different options to help you fund postgraduate research. Visit funding your postgraduate research for links to government grants, research councils funding and more, that could be available.
Supervisors

Primary supervisor: Dr James McGilligan
Additional Supervisor: Professor Paul Griffin
Apply
Applications should be submitted via the AQT website in the first instance.
Number of places: 1
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