PhD project in Advanced Characterisation of Materials CDT

The UCL-Imperial CDT in Advanced Characterisation of Materials is now accepting applications.  You can apply for a project in the UCL Optical Tweezers Group in collaboration with Valeria Garbin's Group in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial on Nanomechanical Characterisation of Soft Materials.

Project abstract:

The project objective is to develop a suite of analytical techniques, including optical tweezers and microfluidics, for characterising the (nano)mechanical properties of ‘soft’ materials such as liposomes or biomembranes.  The principal aims of this project are:
(i) to study the mechanical properties of biomimetic vesicles undergoing extreme deformations as a result of an applied external stress, e.g. optical, acoustic, or fluid shear forces;
(ii) to study phase separation and rupture in artificial vesicles under external forcing;
(iii) to use the result of the above studies to  engineer membrane materials with properties optimised for applications including controlled drug release and microreactors.
During the project the student will acquire skills in microfluidics, microdevice fabrication, optics, modelling (including light scattering and transport phenomena), image analysis, and (micro)rheology.  

Contact Phil Jones or Valeria Garbin for details

New Group Members

Two new members have joined the Optical Tweezers Group at the start of the 2014-15 academic year.  Nick Tidy has joined us as a PhD student.  Nick studied Physics at Birmingham University and graduated in 2014.  He will be working with our collaborators at JAIST on optical trapping of polymer vesicles.  Stefan Siwiak-Jaszek is a fourth year undergraduate at UCL studying Natural Sciences.  Stefan spent the third year of his degree studying at the National University of Singapore, and has retured to UCL for his final year where he will be using optical tweezers to study stochastic thermodynamic processes for his MSci project.

PhD studentship available

A PhD studentship is available to start in September 2014 on a project entitled Membrane engineering of artificial lipid vesicles. The goal of this project is to use optical tweezers to probe the mehanical properties of biomimetic vesicles undergoing temperature or light-induced phase or structural transformation, and to use the results of these studies to engineer membrane materials with properties optimised for applications including controlled drug release and microreactors.

Experimental work will be carried out in the Optical Tweezers Group in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at UCL and in the Biological Soft Matter Group in the School of Materials Science at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (JAIST).  The project is jointly supervised by Dr Phil Jones (UCL) and Dr Tsutomu Hamada (JAIST).

The studentship will pay a stipend and fees at the rate applicable for UK/EU students for three years.  The student will be registered for a PhD at UCL where they will spend the first and third years.  The second year of the PhD will be spent at JAIST.

Please contact Dr Phil Jones for further details or to express an interest.

AMOP Physics Open Day

The Atomic Molecular Optical and Positron Physics group will be holding an Open Day on Wednesday December 4th 2013 at 13:00.  The Open Day will be held in rooms A1 and E7 located on the Physics building on UCL's main Gower Street Campus. 

The agenda of the day is: 

13:00 - 15:00  Short research presentations by AMOPP faculty (A1)

15:00 - 18:00  Poster presentations by research groups (E7)

15:00 - 17:00 Lab tours

Please see here for further details of how to get to us.

Susan Skelton PhD viva

Congratulations to Optical Tweezers PhD student Susan Skelton who has successfully defended her PhD thesis on Applications of cylindrical vector beams for optical micromanipulation.  Susan will be leaving the group to start a postdoc at the University of Osaka, Japan, in the Laboratory for Scientific Instrumentation and Engineering (LaSIE) under the supervision of Prof Satoshi Kawata.  Many thanks to Dr Stephen Hogan (UCL) and Dr David McGloin (Dundee University) for acting as examiners.

Well done Dr Skelton, and good luck in Japan!

AMOP Physics Open Day

On Wednesday 13 February the UCL AMOP Physics Group is holding an Open Day for students interested in studying for a PhD in the group.  The timetable for the day is:

13:00 - 13:30  Introductory talk by Dr Agapi Emmanouilidou and Prof Ferrucio Renzoni (A1)

13:30 - 13:45  Buffet Lunch (E7)

13:45 - 15:30 Poster presentations by research groups (E7)

14:00 - 16:00 Lab tours

A PhD studentship is available to work in the Optical Tweezers Group on the project Exploring stochastic thermodynamics with optical traps.

PhD Studentships Available

Two PhD studentships are available to work on a project funded by the Leverhulme Trust titled 'Exploring stochastic thermodynamics with optical traps', starting in 2013. The aim of this project is to use optical trapping experiments as a test-bed for fluctuation relations in non-equilibrium (driven) systems.

Project abstract: The theory of equilibrium statistical mechanics is well established, and has found direct or indirect confirmation in a wide range of experiments. This is not the case for the emerging field of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. In this case, a general theory has yet to be formulated, although a number of theorems (e.g. fluctuation and work theorems) have been introduced to link different physical quantities in systems out of equilibrium. The aim of the proposed research is to develop further, through proof-of-principle experiments with optical traps, the foundations of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, with a view towards a unified description. 

Studentships will pay a stipend and fees at the rate applicable for UK and European Union students only.

Contact Dr Phil Jones for further details

New Group Members

Chris Fury has joined the UCL Optical Tweezers Group from April 2012 to study for a PhD.  Chris gained a degree in Physics from Exeter University, followed by an MSc in Fusion Energy from York University, which included a research project at the Central Laser Facility at the Rutherford Appleton Lab.

Chris joins the group to work at the National Physical Laboratory on the NPL/UCL optical and acoustic microbubble trapping project.

AMOP Physics Open Day

The Atomic Molecular Optical and Positron Physics group will be holding an Open Day on Wednesday 08 February 2012 at 13:00. Come along and find out more about working towards a PhD in our group! You'll get to hear about our research programs, talk to group members and potential supervisor as well as see our labs. 

There are PhD opportunities in theoretical and experimental research in the following areas:
 

• Cold matter and optical trapping
• Positron and positronium physics
• Quantum effects in biological systems
• Quantum information and quantum computation
• Theoretical molecular atmospheric and astrophysics
• Ultracold quantum gases
• Ultrafast laser spectroscopy and strong laser interactions

For more information on studentship opportunities and the application process, please follow this link. You are strongly encouraged to email potential supervisors directly regarding potential projects and funding.

The Open Day will be held in rooms A1 and A13 located on the top floor of the Physics building on UCL's main Gower Street Campus. Please see here for further details of how to get to us.  The agenda of the day is:

13:00 - 13:30  Introductory talk by Prof Peter Baker and Prof Sougato Bose (A1)

13:00 - 13:15  Buffet Lunch (A13)

13:15 - 15:00 Poster presentations by research groups (A13)

14:00 - 16:00 Lab tours

PhD studentship available

A PhD studentship is available as part of a joint project between the National Physical Laboratory, University College London (UCL) and the University of Oxford, aimed at the trapping and manipulation of microbubbles in optical and acoustical fields, to transform them into micro-sensors. The project already employs a PhD student for the theoretical part: we are currently recruiting a student for the experimental side of the project.

The work will be mainly conducted at NPL under the direction of Dr Gianluca Memoli, and the student will be registered for a PhD with Dr Philip Jones, at the Department of Physics & Astronomy, University College London.

The studentship is available for three years, starting in early 2012 and will pay a stipend and fees at a rate applicable for UK and EU students.

Candidates should have a degree in Physics or Engineering and previous experimental experience (with lasers or ultrasound or microfluidics) would be a clear advantage.

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is one of the UK's leading science facilities and research centres. It is a world-leading centre of excellence in developing and applying the most accurate standards, science and technology available.

NPL occupies a unique position as the UK's National Measurement Institute and sits at the intersection between scientific discovery and real world application. Its expertise and original research have underpinned quality of life, innovation and competitiveness for UK citizens and business for more than a century.

NPL is based in a unique research environment which is located in pleasant surroundings on the edge of Bushy Park in south-west London. We have a host of onsite facilities including a subsidised crèche, restaurant, and a sports and social club.

NPL Management Limited is committed to supporting their people to develop both personally and professionally and is committed to equal opportunities.

To apply for this position, please send your CV and any other relevant information to:

Dr Gianluca Memoli
Tel: +44 20 8943 6062
Email: gianluca.memoli@npl.co.uk

The cosing date for aplications is 31 December 2011.

AMOP Physics Open Day

Today is the AMOP Physics Group Open Day for students interested in studying for a PhD.

Programme:

12:30-13.00 Introductory talk by Peter Barker (Room E7, Physics Dept)
13:00-14:00 Buffet Lunch and theory group posters
14:00-16:00 Lab tours