College of Engineering and Physical Sciences PhD Studentship (3.5 years)

Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies

Applications are invited for a three-and-a-half year Postgraduate studentship, supported by the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, to be undertaken within the Optical Fibre Communications Research Group of AiPT at Aston University.   The successful applicant will join an established experimental group working on ultra-wide-band nonlinear optical amplifiers for application in future high speed, high capacity optical fibre communication systems. 

 The position is available to start in October 2021.

 Financial Support

 This studentship includes a fee bursary to cover the Home fees rate, plus a maintenance allowance of at least £15,609 (subject to eligibility). 

 Overseas Applicants

This studentship includes a fee bursary to cover the Home fees rate plus a maintenance allowance of at least £15,609 in 2021/22. 

Overseas applicants may apply for this studentship but will need to pay the difference between the ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees. Currently the difference between ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees is £13,100 in 2021/22. As part of the application you will be required to confirm that you have applied for, or, secured this additional funding.

Background to the Project

The optical fibre communications research group at AiPT has a long history of innovations in nonlinear photonics and long-established relationships with leading companies in the optical networking industry. This PhD studentship is associated with the UK EPSRC-funded project “All-Raman amplification for next Generation ultra-wideband Optical Networks (ARGON)” which aims to explore novel optical amplifier architectures based on the Raman effect in highly nonlinear fibre. The successful applicant will join a research team comprising Prof Wladek Forysiak, Dr Paul Harper, Dr Ian Phillips, and two newly appointed research fellows, and will benefit from full scale experimental facilities including access to multi-100Gb/s optical transmission test-beds, state-of-the-art high speed electronic test equipment, and dedicated computational facilities. The project enjoys strong support from industry partners BT, Corning, and II-VI.    

Person Specification

The successful applicant should have been awarded, or expect to achieve, a Masters degree in a relevant subject with a 60% or higher weighted average, and/or a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree (or an equivalent qualification from an overseas institution) in physics, applied physics, or electronic/electrical engineering.  Preferred skill requirements include knowledge/experience of optical fibre communications, photonics, and/or mathematical modelling of physical systems.   

We would particularly like to encourage applications from women seeking to progress their academic careers. Aston University is committed to the principles of the Athena SWAN Charter, recognised recently by a prestigious Silver Award to EPS, and we pride ourselves on our vibrant, friendly and supportive working environment and family atmosphere.

Contact information

For informal enquiries about this project please contact Professor Wladek Forysiak by email at W.Forysiak@aston.ac.uk.

Submitting an application

Details of how to submit your application, and the necessary supporting documents can be found here: https://www.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/phd-engineering-and-physical-sciences 

Please include the supervisor name, project title, and project reference in your Personal Statement.

The application must be accompanied by a “research proposal” statement. An original proposal is not required as the initial scope of the project has been defined, candidates should take this opportunity to detail how their knowledge and experience will benefit the project and should also be accompanied by a brief review of relevant research literature.

If you require further information about the application process please contact the Postgraduate Admissions team at pgr_admissions@aston.ac.uk

Further particulars and application forms are available in alternative formats on request i.e. large print, Braille, tape or CD Rom.

Aston University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

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