PhD in Electronic & Electrical Engineering

This PhD project will develop metasurface-enabled intelligent optical sensing for rapid, accurate identification of miniature features in endoscopy. Building on recent funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Leverhulme Trust, this PhD combines advanced nanofabrication, machine-learning-driven optical design, and close collaboration with University Hospital Southampton, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)./nMetasurfaces are planar nanostructures that enable precise control of the amplitude, phase, and polarisation of light, redefining the frontiers of optical engineering. These capabilities underpin compact polarisation - and phase-sensitive optical detection systems and have demonstrated strong potential in biomedical imaging./nThis PhD project aims to harness metasurface-based light manipulation to develop intelligent optical sensing technologies for next-generation endoscopy. The project builds on recent funding from the EPSRC and the Leverhulme Trust, providing access to world-class nanofabrication and characterisation facilities at the University of Southampton. You will investigate deep-learning-assisted metasurface design to achieve extreme topological manipulation of light, and realise these designs through wafer-scale fabrication in the University’s cleanroom facilities. Supervised by Dr Xu Fang (School of Electronics and Computer Science) and Dr Eric Plum (Optoelectronics Research Centre), you will gain strong interdisciplinary training in computational photonics, nanofabrication, and optical characterisation./nThe project also includes close collaboration with academic and industrial partners, supporting the translation of fundamental optical concepts into practical imaging systems. In the later stages of the PhD, subject to progress and research focus, there will be opportunities to engage in international collaborations with NTU and MIT, advancing foundry-scale metasurface integration toward real-world deployment.