MSCA doctoral network (SPARK) PhD position in numerical photonics

Responsabilities

Offer description

Optical Vortex Generation Using Twisted Bilayer Photonic Crystals

The Lobet research team part of the NISM institute of the Science Faculty of the University of Namur (Belgium), is looking for a PhD candidate part of a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) doctoral network SPARK project on the topic of "Optical Vortex Generation Using Twisted Bilayer Photonic Crystals" to perform theoretical and numerical calculations, as well as experimental fabrication and characterization in the novel domain of "moiré optics", in collaboration with Prof. M. Piccardo (INESC MN) and Prof. Pol Van Dorpe (IMEC).

Research/project description

Moiré photoincs is the emerging branch of photonics studying novel platforms made of two photonic crystals disoriented relative to each other, with a tunable rotation angle. They are directly inspired by twistronics, investigating the electronic properties of twisted 2D materials. The latter emerging field is boosting solid-state physics research because unconventional properties such as flat bands in the electronic band structure, vanishing Dirac velocity of electrons and enhanced density of states are evidenced at low twist angles. Those platforms demonstrated electronically tunable superconducting and insulating phases as well as topological properties.

Driven by the electronic-photonic analogy, twisted structures start appearing in photonics with similar extremely flat bands in their photonic band structure and consequently slow light properties. However, twistoptics is a nascent field, full of fundamental, numerical and technological challenges.

The project will explore the generation of optical vortices carrying orbital angular momentum from twisted photonic crystal structures. The goal is to design twisted photonic crystals to realize robust vortex radiation.

Secondments include 3 months at IMEC for nanofabrication exposure and 6 months at INESC MN (M. Piccardo) for structured-light characterization based on off-axis digital holography. By producing robust vortex beams via twisted photonic platforms, the doctoral candidate contributes to one of the research objectives of the doctoral network SPARK (SPARK MSCA Doctoral Network), which is to demonstrate metamaterial-enabled structured light generation through controlled angular momentum.

Over the course of the thesis, the candidate will develop skills in theoretical modelling and simulation of twisted photonic crystals (UNamur), nanofabrication of photonic structures (IMEC), and structured-light characterization (INESC MN), gained through secondments as well as shared expertise with the whole SPARK doctoral network consortium. An ongoing close collaboration is active on moiré photonics with Prof. Benoit Hackens at UCLouvain.

The SPARK network is coordinated by Humeyra Caglayan (TU/e EE) and brings together Nicolò Maccaferri (UMU), Iñigo Liberal (UPNA), Paloma Arroyo Huidobro (UAM), Marco Piccardo (INESC MN and Técnico Lisboa), Michaël Lobet (UNamur), Riccardo Sapienza (Imperial), and Ahmed H. Dorrah (TU/e AP). It will hire 15 phD students that will work closely to advance spatiotemporal photonic technologies.

Research environment:

The Michaël Lobet's Research Team | UNamur, part of the NISM institute (Namur Institute of Structured Matter), has a long-standing expertise in theoretical and numerical physics, especially in photonics. The direct work environment is composed of experienced researchers such as Prof. Michaël Lobet (PI for the current call), Prof. Luc Henrard, Prof. Olivier Deparis and Prof. Alexandre Mayer.

The candidate will benefit from the scientific network of the lab including of several high-ranked universities, such as Harvard, UPenn, Stanford, University of Navarra, Tsinghua University, DTU,… Close collaborations with the doctoral network member are foreseen, on top of the announced secondments at INESC MN and IMEC.

The lab members have access to state-of-the-art HPC Tier 2 facilities through the CECI consortium. The capabilities of the CECI clusters cover a range of facilities including very fast CPUs and GPU accelerators. We also have access to supercomputer facilities of the regional Tier-1 (Zenobe) and projects can be submitted to the EuroHPC initiative.

Over the years, the lab developed either homemade codes (rigorous couple wave analysis, plane wave expansions, finite-difference time domain method, etc.), know-how using open softwares under GNU license (MEEP, MPB, etc.) or commercial solutions (Lumerical FDTD, Comsol Multiphysics) required to perform the present project. Moreover, INESC MN and IMEC facilities are state-of-the-art for fabrication and characterization.

The University of Namur has been awarded with the "HR Excellence in Research" label in 2013 confirming its alignment of HR policies with the principles of the European Charter for Researcher and a code of conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. Namur is the capital city of the French-speaking part of Belgium. It is located 60 km south (or 1h by train) of Brussels and is surrounded by a beautiful countryside.

The PhD will join a dynamic team, composed of 2 post-docs, 5 phDs students and 2 master. The team particularly cares for the well-being of its members (team building, scientific retreat, etc.).

Recent publications of the team

• Mello, L. Vertchenko, S. Nelson, A. Debacq, D. Guney, E. Mazur, M. Lobet, “Long-range quantum entanglement in dielectric mu-near-zero metamaterials”, Light Sci Appl 14, 300 (2025).
• Roy, L. Beicheng, S. Fan, A. Mayer, M. Lobet. "Twist-Induced Beam Steering and Blazing Effects in Photonic Crystal Devices.", Light Sci Appl 14, 263 (2025).
• Lobet, N. Kinsey, I. Liberal, H. Caglayan, P. A. Huidobro, E. Galiffi, J. R. Mejía-Salazar, G. Palermo, Z. Jacob, N. Maccaferri, "New horizons in near-zero refractive index photonics and hyperbolic metamaterials." ACS Photonics, 10, 3805–3820 (2023).
• Lobet, I. Liberal, L. Vertchenko, A. Lavrinenko, N. Engheta, E. Mazur, “Momentum considerations inside near-zero index materials”, Light Sci Appl 11, 110 (2022).
• Li, Z. Zhou, Z., W. Sun, M. Lobet, N. Engheta, I. Liberal, Y. Li, “Direct observation of ideal electromagnetic fluids”, Nat. Commun 13, 4747 (2022).
• Lobet, I. Liberal, E. N. Knall, M. Zahirul Alam, O. Reshef, R. W. Boyd, N. Engheta, E. Mazur, “Fundamental Radiative Processes in Near-Zero-Index Media of Various Dimensionalities”, ACS Photonics, 7 (8), 1965-1970 (2020).
• Liberal, M. Lobet, Y. Li, N. Engheta, “Near-zero index media as electromagnetic ideal fluids”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117 (39) 24050-24054 (2020).

Profile

Eligibility criteria

• Master’s degree in fields of physics, astrophysics, applied Physics, Optics, Electrical Engineering, Material Engineering or a closely related subject.
• You should not have a doctoral degree at the time of recruitment.
• You must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Belgium for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the recruitment (this is a requirement from the funding authority).
• Strong skills in the English language.
• Expertise in photonics, numerical methods, and/or scientific computing/HPC or in nanofabrication/optical characterization are strong assets but not a requirement.
• Team player spirit, willing to collaborate with external institution colleagues, autonomy in work as well as transparency are looked for.

Additional information

Benefits

What SPARK Offers:

• Gross salary starting around 3000€/month, with potential for additional funding depending on your family status (Mobility allowance around 700€/month and family allowance around 650€/month depending on the family status).
• 36 months funded through the SPARK MSCA network, additional 12 months funded by UNamur to finish the 4 years thesis, with the additional benefits for employees.
• 6-month research stay at INESC MN, Portugal and 3-month research at IMEC, Belgium.
• Training program including research-specific and transferable skills courses.
• Active participation in workshops, conferences, and network-wide events to build professional and scientific connections.
• Stimulating, multidisciplinary, and international research environment within a prestigious European training network.

The starting date is foreseen between February 1st 2027 and May 1st 2027.

Remarks

Offer Starting Date: 1 Feb 2027.

SELECTION PROCESS

The application will require:

• A curriculum vitae including publications and teaching experiences if any.
• A list of all master courses with corresponding ECTS and individual scores obtained.
• A personal letter (1-3 pages) introducing yourself, describing your previous research fields and main research results if any, describing your personal goals and how you fit in the application.
• Up to 3 persons of reference that could be contacted to assess the applicant’s qualifications.
• All other information that might be relevant.

For more information, please contact Prof. Michaël Lobet, email: michael.lobet@unamur.be

Selection process

• You can apply for this job no later than 15/11/2026 by sending the complete application by email to michael.lobet@unamur.be.
• The candidate will receive the chance to interact with team members to gauge their insertion in the work environment.

Additional comments

Recruitment policy :

The human resources management policy of the University of Namur is based on respect for equal rights and equal treatment for all. This diversity is articulated around different axes, including gender, disability, origin, beliefs, age, sexual orientation, etc. The University of Namur is also a signatory of the charter of diversity. UNamur is also committed to adhering to the 40 principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the European Union Code for the Recruitment of Researchers in its human resources management (OTM-R policy)