Photonic time crystals and timetronics

About the Project

Supervisory Team: Prof Nikolay I. Zheludev, Prof Kevin MacDonald and Dr Eric Plum

Time crystals are an eagerly sought phase of matter in which time-translation symmetry is broken. This project will explore the exciting physics of time crystals and the foundations of ‘timetronics’, an information and data technology relying on the unique functionalities of this sophisticated yet esoteric state of matter.

You will join the ORC Nanophotonics & Metamaterials Group, a strong international team of students, postdoctoral and academic staff working together on aspects of cutting-edge nanophotonics research, seeking to understand, control and utilize light and light-matter interactions at the sub-wavelengths scale. A remarkable range of new phenomena is found in this regime, with wide-ranging potential applications in, for example, telecommunications, metrology, sensing, defence, super-resolution imaging, and data storage.

The research programmes are funded by the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the European Research Council. You will have opportunity to develop advanced skills in experimental photonics, computational electromagnetic modelling, application of machine learning and AI, electron and optical microscopy, and nanofabrication. You'll publish several papers in leading academic journals and present their work at major international conferences, as their research progresses.

The Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) is a world-leading photonics research organization. With over 90 state-of-the-art laboratories and a diverse community of around 200 researchers working in all areas of optics and photonics, it provides an outstanding interdisciplinary environment for students to grow. Our extensive training programmeprovides knowledge and skills through photonics lectures, training for report writing, project management, time management, presentation skills and full safety training for your research area, as well as nanofabrication training as required by your project. These are all essential life skills for the next step in your career.

Entry requirements

You must have a 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in one of the following:

• physics
• mathematics
• engineering

or a closely related discipline.

Fees and funding

Full scholarships include tuition fees, a stipend at the UKRI rate plus 10% ORC enhancement tax-free per annum for up to 3.5 years (totalling £22,858 for 2025/26, rising annually) and a budget of £4200 for things like conference travel.

UK, EU and Horizon Europe students are eligible for scholarships. CSC students are eligible for fee waivers. Funding for other international applicants is very limited and highly competitive. Overseas students who have secured or are seeking external funding are welcome to apply.

For more information, please visit our postgraduate research funding pages.

How to apply

Apply now

You need to:

• choose programme type (Research), 2026/27, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
• select Full time or Part time
• search for programme PhD ORC (7097)
• add name of the supervisor in section 2 of the application

Applications should include:

• your CV (resumé)
• 2 academic references
• degree transcripts and certificates to date
• English language qualification (if applicable)