About the Project
A fully funded PhD opportunity to participate in the world-leading research undertaken by the EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award at the University of Sheffield.
Supervised by Prof Dmitry Krizhanovskii and Prof Alxander Tartakovskii.
The University of Sheffield is one of the leading Russell Group universities in the UK. We carry out cutting-edge research with strong links to industry. When you enrol to do a PhD with us, you will be working with world-leading academics and have access to top of the range facilities. As a PhD student you will have the opportunity to gain skills not only to conduct research, but also to take your career to the next level, whether you want to stay in academia, go into industry or the public sector, or set up your own company. You will have access to a range of training and support services to help you excel in your studies and beyond.
Project Description
Quantum computers that use light to process quantum information are no longer just theoretical. Companies like PsiQuantum (USA), Quandela (France), the Sheffield spin-out Aegiq and others are racing to build machines that use single photons as quantum bits. These quantum optical computers could significantly advance Artificial Intelligence and solve complex problems in drug discovery and materials science that would otherwise take conventional computers years.
Two challenges stand in the way of energy-efficient and compact quantum architectures. First, light needs to travel through an optical circuit without getting knocked off course by defects and imperfections unavoidable in any real photonic device. Second, for quantum logic operations, photon qubits need to influence each other, which doesn't happen naturally; normally, two beams of light just pass through one another without interacting at all.
What you'll be working on
You will address these challenges of photon loss and interactions by focusing on atomically thin van der Waals 2D semiconductors (e.g. MoSe2, WSe2) efficiently coupled to nanophotonic devices, where light and electrons hybridise to form polariton quasiparticles. Polaritons provide a remarkably useful handle for controlling light.
One strand of your work will be to engineer an artificial magnetic field for photons utilising the matter component of polaritons and the photon dispersion in a photonic crystal. Photons have no charge and are insensitive to magnetic fields. We need to design photonic structures in such a way that an artificial magnetic field felt by photons appears. Polaritons can also be controlled by a real magnetic field. We will explore strategies that use an artificial or real magnetic field to achieve robust unidirectional light propagation in topological waveguides without backscattering from defects and imperfections.
The second strand of the project follows from the same physics: because of the electron component in the polariton, two polaritons, and thus two photons, can strongly interact and influence each other's phase, which we will probe using precise optical interferometric techniques. Combining these strong interactions with the artificial magnetic field paves the way for highly efficient quantum logic gates and a route to entangling photon qubits required for scalable quantum optical technology.
What you'll come away with
This project spans physics concepts, photonic design, fabrication, and advanced optical testing, building technical and scientific skills at every stage. You will perform advanced optical spectroscopy (including ultrafast and near-field measurements) and computational modelling of nanophotonic devices. You will also participate in cleanroom fabrication, such as electron-beam lithography and thin-film processing. The project can be tailored to emphasise device design, characterisation, or fabrication based on your interests. These skills are highly relevant to the rapidly growing semiconductor, quantum technology, and photonics industries, as well as academic research.
You will receive full training and support from senior PhD students, experienced postdocs, and two academic supervisors.
The environment
You will join the Semiconductor Photonics and Quantum Technologies (SPQT) Research Cluster in Sheffield, comprising 12 academic staff, 40 PhD students and postdocs. You will work alongside experts in semiconductor photonics, 2D materials, quantum dots, quantum optics, and quantum computing theory, with access to advanced experimental setups, modern fabrication facilities, and theoretical support.
You will also be fully integrated into the Sheffield Quantum Centre, which unites over 60 researchers across quantum theory, photonics, materials, and semiconductor technologies, providing an excellent environment for academic and industrial collaborations. You will develop your scientific skills by presenting at regular group meetings and conferences.
How to apply
Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to contact the project supervisors to discuss your interest in and suitability for the project prior to submitting your application.
Please refer to the EPSRC DLA webpage for detailed information about the EPSRC DLA and how to apply.
Applicants must ensure that they use the correct application form linked to the EPSRC DLA webpage and must submit an application for October 2027 entry. The form is unique to the EPSRC DLA. It contains the list of advertised projects from which to select, and three questions specific to the DLA.
The application deadline is 17:00 GMT 13 January 2027.
The majority of our DLA studentships will be allocated to candidates who qualify for Home fee status, in accordance with EPSRC funding regulations which place strict limits on international recruitment.
Funding Notes
The award will fund the full tuition fee and a maintenance stipend at the UKRI rate (currently £21,805 per annum) for 3.5 years, as well as a research grant to support costs associated with the project.