Postgraduate research opportunities Nanodiamonds for sub-cellular quantum thermometry in living organisms
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 nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect in diamond is an optically-active colour centre that shows much promise for all-optical sensing. Its ground state is a spin-triplet that has been investigated as a potential qubit. The interaction of the system with the environment also allows detection of magnetic fields and, through the frequency shift of a microwave-frequency spin-resonance, temperature. Current measurements use pulsed control of the spin state of the NV centre to enact rephasing of the spin, allowing decoupling of the system from environmental noise while retaining sensitivity to the parameters being measured.
In addition, even when embedded in nanodiamond (typically diamond particles smaller than a few hundred nanometers), the NV centre retains the ability to be used as an effective sensor. Diamond is biologically inert, yet can be functionalised through surface chemistry modifications to target structures of interest within cells. Nanodiamond therefore offers an exciting route to all-optical, sub-cellular detection of biological activity.
Many biological processes of interest to a wide range of researchers involve local thermal effects (both endothermic and exothermic); sub cellular temperature sensing offers a powerful way to infer the activity of cells undergoing numerous processes. Furthermore, when performing thermometry with NV centres, there are effective ways to decouple the sensor from sources of noise within the system of interest. Excitingly, this approach enables correlated thermometry / magnetometry with the same setup and samples.
While NV centres are perhaps better known for magnetometry applications, sensitivity to noise-generating processes within cells poses significant engineering challenges that are being addressed by numerous groups, including those in this project proposal. Therefore, we feel that specialising on sub-cellular thermometry will offer a significant benefit to the training of the student in this project – they can quickly apply and develop quantum sensing techniques to biologically relevant questions.
With this project, we propose to build on our existing expertise with NV sensing to further develop the use of nanodiamond as a sub-cellular thermometer for applications in biological imaging. A key focus of the project will be ensuring that the hardware and sample processing requirements with be compatible with the needs for effective biological research. An existing, low-cost widefield NV sensing system will be expanded to allow investigation of biological systems while incorporating state of the art pulsed microwave techniques to improve sensitivity and reject noise. Anticipated systems of interest include mitochondrial activity within cells and the impact of photosynthesis on the local thermal environment within a cell.
This will be done through collaboration with biological researchers from the outset (local researchers in SIPBS and Jones), the development of flexible, comparatively low-cost, hardware that can be integrated with gold-standard biological imaging techniques, and a focus on interdiscplinary training. The latter will allow the successful candidate to develop a broad range of skills beyond those in their primary degree, and will also equip them for effective research in the highly interdisciplinary research that characterises much of the intersection of quantum technologies with the other disciplines we wish to see it embedded in.
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.
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 Master’s degree.
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 Brian Patton
Additional Supervisor/s: Prof Gail McConnell, Dr Alex Jones (industry supervisor) (NPL)
Apply
Applications should be submitted via the AQT website in the first instance.
Number of places: 1
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