Spectrally Pure Topological Microcombs (Ref: AQ/PH/2026)

Department of Physics, Loughborough University

Prof Alessia Pasquazi, Dr Antonio Cutrona

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

About the Project

This PhD project is part of a funded collaboration with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), designed for a highly motivated and innovative early-career researcher to build strong skills in experimental and theoretical photonics and optics. The goal is to develop extremely low-noise optical sources (microcombs) for precision timing applications. Leveraging recent advances in topological states and nonlinear optics, the system will generate ultrastable combs in a compact form. These objectives align with the Quantum National Strategy by building practical, metrology-ready microcombs, essential for the development of portable quantum timing devices.

The Emergent Photonics Research Centre is a 700 m² university facility dedicated to complexity in photonics, spanning ultrafast photonics, optical frequency combs in microresonators, AI for photonics, and terahertz technologies. The Centre hosts a multi-million-pound portfolio of equipment and research grants from funders including the ERC, EPSRC, DSTL, Innovate UK, and The Leverhulme Trust, with several early-career fellowships and PhD studentships. During the course of the studentship, the student would be expected to complete two six-month placements at NPL.

This research aligns with the UK Quantum Missions—targeting ultraprecise clock distribution (QT Mission 4: positioning, navigation, and timing; QT Mission 5: network synchronisation)—and is funded by the project UKRI Industrial Doctoral Landscape Awards (IDLA) Partnership: Spectrally Pure Topological Microcombs.

Related projects include:

1. UK Hub for Quantum-Enabled Position, Navigation and Timing (QEPNT) – Glasgow-led.
2. EPSRC Programme Grant – Chip-Scale Atomic Systems for a Quantum Navigator.
3. STFC-NSERC UK-Canada MICROQ – a Loughborough–INRS initiative on microcombs for quantum networking.
4. The NPL Quantum Programme - Supporting the UK through test and evaluation.

You will join Prof Alessia Pasquazi’s (Loughborough) and Dr Jacob Tunesi’s (NPL) teams, contributing to leading-author publications and international presentations.

Loughborough University champions inclusivity—see our policies on flexible working, parental leave, and equality charters.

Name of primary supervisor

Prof Alessia Pasquazi A.Pasquazi@lboro.ac.uk

Name of secondary supervisor:

Dr Antonio Cutrona https://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/physics/staff/antonio-cutrona/

Name of external supervisor:

Dr Jacob Tunesi (NPL)

Entry requirements:

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 Honours degree (or equivalent). We welcome applications from exceptional students with STEM backgrounds (physics, engineering, applied mathematics, advanced mechanics) intersecting with photonics.

English language requirements:

Applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements. Further details are available on the International website (http://www.lboro.ac.uk/international/applicants/english/).

Funding information:

The studentship is for 4 years and provides a tax-free stipend of £25,555 per annum (consisting of £21,805 UKRI funding plus £3,750 industry top-up) plus tuition fees at the UK tuition fees rate (£5,238). Funding for conference travel, lab materials, and a placement at an industry partner is also available.

International tuition fees are not covered by the studentship. The international fee for 2026/27 is £29,500 and is subject to annual inflationary increases.

Bench fees required: No

Closing date of advert: 16th May 2026

Start date: October 2026, February 2027, July 2027

Full-time/part-time availability: Full-time 4 years, Part-time 8 years

Who is eligible to apply?: Both UK and International

How to apply:

All applications should be made online. Under Campus, please select ‘Loughborough’ and select Programme ‘Physics’. Please quote the advertised reference number AQ/PH/2026 in your application.

To avoid delays in processing your application, please ensure that you submit the minimum supporting documents. The following selection criteria will be used by academic schools to help them make a decision on your application.

Project search terms:

artificial intelligence, computational physics, electrical engineering, experimental physics, optical physics, quantum mechanics, Microcombs, Optics, Nonlinear Optics, Integrated Photonics, Quantum Technologies

Email Address Sci:

sci-pgr@lboro.ac.uk