Join the next revolution in global communications — connecting the seabed to space through emerging 6G and beyond technologies. This EngD offers the opportunity to develop innovative underwater optical wireless communication (UOWC) systems that enable high-speed, real-time data transfer for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and Underwater IoT applications.

You will address one of the most challenging frontiers in communications: achieving reliable, high-speed performance in the complex underwater environment, where temperature, turbulence, and pressure variations disrupt optical signals. The project will focus on developing a co-operative, spatially distributed transceiver system using spatial and wavelength diversity, enhanced through advanced optical design and signal processing. The system will be tested in our in-house UOWC testbed, with potential for ROV-based field trials.

Based in Glasgow’s Technology and Innovation Centre, home to Fraunhofer UK and the Institute of Photonics, you will join a world-class research hub at the heart of the city’s Innovation District.

As an EngD researcher, you will benefit from:

• Access to cutting-edge laboratories and expert supervision.
• Collaboration with leading scientists, engineers, and industry partners.
• Professional and personal development through training and leadership programmes.
• Opportunities to present research at international conferences.
• A diverse and supportive culture with 31 days of annual leave plus 11 public holidays.

This EngD combines advanced academic research with industry-driven innovation, preparing you for a career at the forefront of photonics and communication engineering.

Institute of Photonics

The Institute of Photonics (IoP), part of the Department of Physics, is a centre of excellence in applications-oriented research at the University of Strathclyde. The Institute’s key objective is to bridge the gap between academic research and industrial applications and development in the area of photonics. The IoP is located in the £100M Technology and Innovation Centre on Strathclyde’s Glasgow city centre campus, at the heart of Glasgow’s Innovation District, where it is co-located with the UK’s first Fraunhofer Research Centre. Researchers at the IoP are active in a broad range of photonics fields under the areas of Photonic Devices, Advanced Lasers and Neurophotonics, please visit the IoP research page for more information

Strathclyde Physics is a member of SUPA, the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance.

The University of Strathclyde has been the recipient of the following awards: UK University of the Year 2026 (Daily Mail University Guide); Scottish University of the Year 2026 (The Times and Sunday times Good University Guide); The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education 1996, 2019, 2021 & 2023; University of the Year 2012 & 2019 (Times Higher Education).

Further information

Further information can be found on FindaPhD.com