"PhD Studentship - A New Twist on Magnetic Memory: Laser-driven Terahertz Spintronics for Energy-efficient Data Storage"

The University of Manchester - Physics and Astronomy

Research theme: "Spintronics", "Photonics", "Materials Science"

How to apply: uom.link/pgr-apply-2425

UK and overseas

This 3.5-year PhD studentship is open to Home (UK) and overseas applicants. The successful candidate will receive an annual tax-free stipend set at the UKRI rate (£20,780 for 2025/26; subject to annual uplift), and tuition fees will be paid. We expect the stipend to increase each year. The start date is October 2026.

Develop next-generation data storage technologies powered by laser-driven terahertz (THz) fields. Join leading researchers at the University of Manchester to explore ultrafast, energy-efficient magnetic switching, a key step toward faster and greener computing.

This PhD will pioneer THz spintronics — a new frontier where ultrafast optics meets magnetism. Using femtosecond laser pulses, you will generate and control THz-frequency electromagnetic fields capable of switching magnetic states on picosecond timescales, far faster than conventional microwave-based methods.

This approach could revolutionise how magnetic bits are written, enabling energy-efficient data storage without the heating losses of today’s technologies.

Working within the £1.9M EPSRC-funded project “Terahertz Wave Induced Spin Switching Technology (TWISST - www.twisst.org.uk)”, you will design and develop spintronic THz emitters to produce intense, precisely tailored THz pulses with linear, circular, and vector polarisation. These will be used to:

• Drive and probe spin dynamics in magnetic materials;
• Demonstrate coherent, low-dissipation magnetic switching;
• Explore device concepts for THz-driven data recording.

Your results will contribute to the UK’s growing expertise in terahertz systems, with opportunities to collaborate through the UK THz Systems Network.

You will work across the Departments of Physics & Astronomy and Computer Science, joining an interdisciplinary team bridging spintronics, photonics, and materials science. During your PhD you will gain hands-on experience in: ultrafast laser systems and nonlinear optics, THz generation and spectroscopy, magnetic thin-film growth and spintronic device fabrication, data acquisition and simulation. You will be supported by experts in experimental laser physics and spintronic materials, and become part of a thriving research community linked to the Henry Royce Institute and Photon Science Institute (PSI).

You will have opportunities to present your work at international conferences, collaborate with UK and global partners in THz science, and contribute to the development of ultrafast, energy-efficient technologies that could redefine future computing.

This project is ideal for students with a background in physics, materials science, electrical engineering, or a related discipline. Experience in optics and/or magnetism is desirable but not essential as full training will be provided. We welcome motivated, hands-on experimentalists eager to explore new physics and contribute to real-world innovation.

Supervisors: Dr. Darren Graham (lead), Dr. Morgan Hibberd, Dr. Paul Nutter, Prof. Thomas Thomson

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2.1 honours degree or a master’s (or international equivalent) in a relevant science or engineering related discipline.

To apply please contact the main supervisor, Dr. Graham - darren.graham@manchester.ac.uk. Please include details of your current level of study, academic background and any relevant experience and include a paragraph about your motivation to study this PhD project.