Looking for Companies to Join the Photonics Doctoral Education Pilot

The goal is to develop a novel platform for noninvasive in vivo blood flow visualization, comprehensive hemodynamics, and blood rheology measurements based on the use of vectorial properties of the light including polarization, orbital angular momentum, and coherence in general.  With its potential for in-depth, real-time monitoring of vascular health, this platform will provide new types of optically measured bio-signals to drive further development of medical devices and wearables for health and wellness monitoring as well as disease diagnosis and treatment.

Perovskite-structured ferroelectric materials have been proven to provide fundamental advances in photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices due to the presence of spontaneous polarization. To advance understanding of the interaction mechanism between light absorption and ferroelectric domain wall motion, this project aims to make new narrow bandgap ferroelectric materials and then explore their potential applications for neuromorphic computing, photonic sensing, luminescence, and photovoltaic devices.

The main aim of the doctoral research is to develop a time-resolving diffuse optics (TRDO) device based on a CMOS single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array, a CMOS laser driver and FPGA/micro-control unit. The wide area SPAD array with a multi-channel Time-to-Digital converter (TDC) is needed to achieve high light harvesting efficiency and biosignal sampling rate to follow hemodynamic changes. The development of TRDO requires knowledge of analog and digital integrated circuit electronics and an FPGA/microcontrol design. Having knowledge of photonics and light propagation in diffuse media is viewed as a beneficial asset for the candidate.

Designing simple, dynamically tunable metastructures for spectroscopy involves optimizing patterns and structures to manipulate electromagnetic waves. By altering bias voltage, these metastructures can dynamically adjust their properties, enhancing sensitivity and adaptability for various spectroscopic applications. In addition to functional performance improvement of metastructures, their designs are optimized so that their fabrication is as feasbile as possible.

The project aims for development of various applications based on optical modification of graphene and other 2D materials. We have developed two-photon oxidation and defect engineering (optical forging) techniques that can be used for innovative applications including area-selective functionalization with materials or proteins, modification of optical or mechanical properties, tuning of electronic devices, or enhancement of sensor response. In the project, these techniques will be further developed and applied to bioelectronic devices and sensors.

Single-benzene fluorophores (SBF’s) are one of the smallest possible fluorophore scaffolds and have emerged as an alternative for larger aromatic systems. SBF’s offer great tunability, high quantum yields and efficient solid-state emission, thus being highly suitable for various optoelectronic applications, but their photophysical properties have not been investigated in detail. The project aims to gain a thorough understanding of the influence of chemical structure on the electronic properties of SBFs. This will be achieved by detailed photophysical studies by means of steady-state and time-resolved (femtosecond) spectroscopies on a library of recently synthesized SBFs.

Biological systems need to sense light for their growth and well-being. In this project we aim to enlighten (bio)physical pathways how photons are converted to chemical and then biological information. For this we use biological photosensors, bacteriophytochromes, provided in our biochemical laboratory and ultrafast lasers present in our laser laboratory. Our time-resolved spectroscopic studies will test the photoisomerization models of the chromophore inside the protein and compare with the theoretical studies in the literature, as well as studies that we have reported with free-electron lasers. With this program, we will design modified bacteriophytochrome samples and study their ultrafast photoreactions in various conditions. This provides fundamental information about the early events of photosensing inside living organisms.

Whereas matter can be routinely used to control light, controlling matter with light remains challenging. Recent developments suggest that such control is possible if matter is placed near plasmonic nanostructures, but our current theoretical understanding of the observations is too limited for a systematic exploitation of this effect in applications. The aim of this project is to bridge this gap by merging nanophotonics (Macroscopic QED and Quantum Optics) with computational chemistry (electronic structure theory and molecular dynamics). In collaboration with Prof. Johannes Feist at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in Spain, we will implement these developments into the GROMACS molecular dynamics program (www.gromacs.org). With this program, we will then design and optimize nanophotonic structures for controlling the properties of materials in general, and chemical reactions in particular.

The objective is to determine the relaxation pathways and energy transfer within polaritons formed by strong light-matter coupling between organic molecules and confined light mode, such as surface plasmon or Fabry-Pérot cavity mode. We provide systems where molecules with a variety of chemical dynamics are coupled to the same confinement light mode. This allows guiding of the excitation energy from a vast number of molecules to a few or even a single one, through long distances. The above experiments will provide the grounds for developing an efficient light harvesting method resembling the method used by nature in photosynthesis. The work will involve spatially and temporally resolved ultra-fast spectroscopic measurements.

The project aim is to create an integrated silicon spin-photonics chips by combining single photon emitters with an active spin degree of freedom (T-centres) with silicon photonic crystal structures. This is done to enhance the emitters’ coupling to relevant photonic modes and hence couple the emitters to on-chip photonics structures. The goal will be a platform that combines the quantum computing capabilities of silicon spins with the commercial attractiveness of silicon photonics. Additionally, we will use polarization dependent photonic pathways (topological edge modes) so that the emitter spin state and emitted photon direction are coupled. This allows studying the rich phenomena of non-reciprocal physics. This is an experimental project involving both single-photon emitter characterization, nanofabrication of the photonic crystal structures and optical simulations.

Organic semiconductors and metal halide perovskites are two materials showing great promise for future thin-film solar cells. In such devices, the degradation of electrical contacts is a major effect. The aim of this project is to better understand contact degradation processes for increased long-term operation. We will use charge-extraction transient techniques to better understand the degradation processes in organic and perovskite photovoltaic cells. To support the characterization analysis, new models are developed for integrated optical and electrical device simulations, taking the contacts in particular focus.
The doctoral degree promotes the appointees’ future career orientation and prepares for work as an independent researcher or in demanding expert work in the academic and other work life-sectors.

Passive systems for cooling that do not need external energy input (electricity) are dearly needed in these times of climate change and global warming. Controlling visible and non-visible short wavelenght (SW) thermal radiation at the same time as long wavelength (LW) thermal radiation entering or leaving buidling spaces offers opportunities for passive systems that selectively absorb/emit/reflect/transmit these different wavelength ranges. In this project, we consider passive cooling performance of a building roof skylight window. The focus is to approach from a material physics viewpoint the photonics-material selection challenges combined with aspects of costs.

High refractive-index nanowires could offer considerable signal enhancement in fluorescence-based biodetectors. To understand how light behaves in such applications and how to optimize the device materials and geometry, modelling is an effective approach. Here, we will model with the Maxwell equations the enhancement of excitation light, directionality of emitted photons from the fluorophore marker for enhanced collection of fluorescence signal, and enhanced quantum yield of the fluorophore through the Purcell factor. Furthermore, we will model the image sharpness from fluorophores from the vicinity of the nanowires, in which case the standard point-spread function in optical microscopy breaks down due to the strong diffraction of light by the high refractive-index nanowires.

The project is about developing of sensor fusion system to control laser based production system. It aims to utilize modern photonic sensors for thermal, visual and acoustic emissions of a thermal process using laser beam and control the process via date measured and analyzed by AI, thus forming a digital data base about the process. We specifically seek a person with previous background on laser based manufacturing or metal additive manufacturing, photonic sensors and sensor fusion.

The project involves developing photochromic and radiochromic materials based on natural aluminosilicate minerals. The aim is to increase the understanding of the energetics and mechanisms of color change involved in these materials and finally use the materials for sensor applications. We specifically seek a person with previous background on solid state synthesis of inorganic photochromic or luminescent oxides or similar materials.

Optically trapped nanoparticles are ideal systems for detecting extremely small force fields or graviatational effects, as they are very sensitive to any external perturbations. In this project we focus in particular the polarization degree of freedom of the control field which so far has not been explored.We seek a candidate with background in theoretical quantum optics or nanophotonics. Familiarity with numerical methods for quantum dynamics is beneficial.

In this project, we will investigate planar photonic architectures such as microcavities, distributed Bragg reflectors (DBR) and metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structures for improving light outcoupling in organic light-emitting diodes (OLED). In addition, we will concentrate on Purcell-accelerating the emission dynamics in OLEDs to suppress efficiency roll-off.We are looking for highly motivated researchers to work in an international environment. Being a member of our team will allow you to benefit from a superb scientific environment and grow your network substantially. The tasks of this position will involve experimental research that consists of design, physical vapour deposition and advanced optical and electrical characterization of OLEDs. We will give bonus points to those with a proven record of studies on microcavities, organic semiconductors and polaritons. We also value prior expertise in CAD design of deposition masks and automation. The doctoral candidate position is required to have a MSc degree either in Electrical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Physics, Photonics or in a related field.

The interaction of light with mechanical vibrations offers a unique link between these two physical domains. This project aims to study optoacoustic transducers that combine local field enhancement with piezoelectric effect and to implement all-optical tuning of acoustic beam propagation. Project results can be extended towards creating structured acoustic beams and towards gigahertz acoustic endoscopy.

This PhD research focuses on developing advanced photonics and optoelectronics using advanced microfabrication and 2D materials. For example, we will investigate novel optical designs and integrated technologies for broad spectral range and high-resolution spectral measurements. The goal is to revolutionize photonics and optoelectronics, enabling lasers, modulators and detectors applications

Integration of nanostructures to different optoelectronic devices and demonstration of improved device performance. The work includes development of both materials and devices.

Plasmonic nanoparticle arrays combined with gain media have shown intriguing phenomena like lasing and Bose-Einstein condensation in the ultrafast, sub-picosecond scale. It is of interest to ask whether superradiance, that is, the coherent and collective formation of an exteremely short pulse can take place in these systems. The project studies this question experimentally utilizing, among other things, a novel two-photon absorption setup recently built in our laboratory. There is strong theory collaboration with theory.

This doctoral project builds on the joint PREIN project called “PINT – Perovskite-inspired indoor photovoltaics for sustainable Internet-of-Things”. Until now, we have demonstrated biomimetic surface coatings for perovskite solar cells that are capable of embedding both anisotropic superhydrophobicity and light management, in order to ensure power conversion efficiency enhancement. In this project, the focus will be on improving the solar cell lifetime and barrier properties through design of different solar cell substrates and encapsulation strategies. The target will be improving the lifetime of lead-free perovskite inspired solar cells, as well as rendering them closer to wearable and indoors energy harvesting.

The research will be focused on the development of nonlocal metasurfaces that are able to replace certain complex op?cal systems, such as spa?al ?lters, pulse chirp ?lters, and spectro-angular light de?ectors with prescribed angular dispersion. Using this approach, we will create ultracompact op?cal devices, in which metasurfaces will replace not only the op?cal components, but also the free space between them.

The aim of the project is to develop new next generation injectable and rapidly photocuring polymeric materials/formulations for the optical applications. To carry out the materials design successfully, we need a clear materials-structure-property understanding, as well as wide enough library of precursors. Furthermore, the synthesis of the oligomeric precursors and compositions of resins with tailored refractive indices, viscosity, jetting, and curing rate must be controlled. Next still more demanding challenge is to develop a voxel-by-voxel manufacturing process that combines several transparent resins in differing ratios for each voxel. Reaching this objective will allow us to manufacture 3D structures with pre-defined refractive index gradients.

Currently we are planning the Development of new 3D Printing Hardware for Optics. The idea for this topic is to study if the 3D Printing technology can made very inexpensive like the todays 2D printers (that already have many materials in the form of colors). The printer can be optimized either to one material (conventional uniform refractive index) lenses or to GRIN (Graded Index) lenses. The team headed by Prof Jukka Niskanen (Prof Jukka Seppälä supporting) will be developing materials that can targeted to either of these. We will continue GRIN Optics development technology also in collaboration with UEF (Prof Jyrki Saarinen) with their current advanced hardware and also with new soon to be acquired improved hardware.

Molecular self-assembly provides an attractive route to bottom-up fabrication of complex plasmonic assemblies with unique optical response. Such assemblies hold great promise for applications in various field, including, photothermal therapy, biosensing, photocatalysis, topological insulators, stimuli responsive metamaterials etc. The proposed project will be focused of bottom-up fabrication of plasmonics nanostructure with optical responses tailored for photothermal therapy and biosensing.

The objectives include: (i) establishing a theoretical framework for the analysis and design of a new generation of “spaceplates”, that is, microscale-thin structures meant to replace macroscale-thick air spaces between lenses in traditional optical systems; (ii) Indicating industry-oriented specifications for spaceplates (e.g., polychromatic response, high numerical aperture) and designing corresponding spaceplates using established theory empowered by topology-based inverse design techniques available in our research group; (iii) Experimental implementation and optical characteriazation of several spaceplate samples.

Organic light-emitting transistors are devices capable of behaving as switch while producing light at the same time. The goal of this research is to investigate the behavior of a new class of luminescent materials (thermally-activated delayed fluorescence-TADF molecules) in the limit of field-effect to identify the role of the horizontal field component on the delayed fluorescence mechanism and corresponding optoelectronic device properties, including charge transport and exciton dynamics.

The development of optical memristors utilizing 2D materials is a highly promising field for the advancement of high-performance neuromorphic computing devices. 2D materials possess distinct characteristics that offer significant advantages in terms of both energy efficiency and integration density. This research project involves a collaboration at the national level, between UEF and the University of Porto, with planned mobility. The research falls into PREIN’s thematic area “development of materials and structures”.

Metrology Research Institute is the National Standards Laboratory of optical quantities in Finland. The doctoral student takes part in maintaining and developing the national standards, and customer calibration. We have recently started two new projects funded by the European Union, one on developing new LED-based standard light sources for the UV region, and the other on characterizing personal dosimeters (MeLiDos). The research for the thesis starts as the work loosely connected to these projects, where good international contacts exist already.

Ultrafast magnetic switching with femtosecond laser pulses holds potential for magnetic data storage technology. In this doctoral project, plasmonic metamaterials consisting of magnetic nanodisk arrays or magnetic film/noble metal nanodisk arrays will be investigated for ultrafast laser-induced switching. The design and fabrication of new magnetoplasmonic materials and the characterization of their optical and magneto-optical properties will be conducted in the Nanomagnetism and Spintronics group at Aalto University. All-optical switching experiments will be performed in collaboration with the Institut Jean Lamour at the Université de Lorraine in France.

This doctoral student project aims at developing a formalism and theoretical tools for the coherence control of genuinely three-dimensional (3D) light fields, e.g., specific types of tightly focused fields or optical near fields with evanescent-wave contribution. Such true 3D fields are increasingly important in modern photonics applications involving nanometer-scale optical structures and they can exhibit unique polarimetric features and strong light confinement. The project contains but is not limited to the subtopics such as the development of rapid computation methods for 3D light fields, their application to the coherence (and polarization) control of 3D fields, study of the effect of coherence on the image quality and resolution in microscopy, and tailoring of the spin and orbital angular momenta in 3D light. In general, the project expands the theoretical framework for the description of random light fields. More importantly, it expands the light field control to a new regime of coherence control, and also beyond the case of two-dimensional beam fields.The candidate is expected to have good mathematical (analytical and numerical) skills, experience in electrodynamics, physical optics, and polarization theory, as well as good communication and presentation capabilities. Well-performed broad studies on photonics and physics are of advantage.

The task of the Doctoral Researcher is to conduct original research in 3D printing (additive manufacturing) of photonics, especially the printing of gradient index (GRIN) optics, as a part of the experienced research group. This involves designing and executing experiments, collecting and analyzing the data, and contributing to scientific publications. In addition collaboration with fellow researchers and participating in seminars, workshops and conferences is essential.
The research on 3D printed GRIN optics includes: Investigating innovative designs for GRIN optics applications and developing the design methodology. Participating in developing materials suitable for additive manufacturing, focusing on achieving tailored refractive index properties.Utilizing and developing the industrial inkjet-based 3D-printing process for GRIN-optics manufacturing.Conducting thorough optical characterization experiments to validate the performance of 3D-printed optics.Exploring potential applications of the printed GRIN optics in, e.g., imaging and sensing.

Ultrahigh resolution mass-spectrometry (MS) will be utilized for characterization of polymeric materials for novel photonics applications. These tools will include trapped ion mobility MS combined with time-of-flight (TIMS-QTOF) that allows high resolution identification of isobaric or isomeric compounds significantly improving substance identification. Both polar and non-polar compounds can be analyzed using various ionization techniques. In addition, several different gas chromatography inlets will be utilized ranging from split/splitless and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) to headspace or direct inlet probe (DIP). For solid polymer samples can be analyzed with a high repetition rate and semi-quantitative results can be achieved with internal standard. These studies will be complemented with spectroscopic and chromatographic tools including NMR spectroscopy together with FT-IR + ATR and UV/Vis spectroscopy.

Hybrid waveguides are channels including dopants or made on active glass substrate or engineered so that they can host active sol gels. Generation and amplification of broadband sources within such a waveguide will serve to explore solutions for environmental sensing using on chip photonic integrated circuits (cascaded interferometers). The main applications targeted in this work are the salinity measurement of seas and the microplastic detection in open water.

We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with strong mathematical skills and expertise in quantum optics, electrodynamics, and optical physics to work towards a doctoral degree in our Theoretical Quantum Photonics (TQP) group. The person will be enrolled in a project that focuses on various quantum optical foundations of light fields exhibiting complex polarization characteristics.Polarization, the vectorial character of light, is a central concept in optical science and technology and forms a topic of much basic research today. Due to its robust property that can be efficiently controlled using modest equipment, polarization is not only crucial for many existing classical applications, but it also offers a promising resource for quantum computing, communication, and metrology. In particular, the manipulation and utilization of light fields with complex polarization structures play an important role in several branches of modern photonics, e.g., nanoscale sensing, molecular spectroscopy, and particle trapping, among other sophisticated photonic platforms. At the same time, the growing interest towards quantum interactions in nano-optics, optomechanics, and topological photonics, where tightly focused light, electromagnetic near fields, and structured light of truly vectorial nature are routinely met, has highlighted the need to understand the fundamental quantum properties of such fields.The research planned for the position is theoretical and covers both analytical and numerical work on photon statistics, polarization fluctuations, optical correlations, and angular momentum structures of vectorial quantum light in near-field interactions and high numerical-aperture systems. Other responsibilities include writing scientific publications, mentoring and supervising BSc and MSc students, as well as taking part in research collaborations and international conferences. You may also have the possibility to participate in teaching activities in courses relevant to your expertise.

The project focuses on photophysical characteristics of the metallocene-methylaluminoxane (MAO) catalyst, which is widely used for production of polyolefin materials. The active catalyst has turned out too difficult for direct experimental characterization, particularly due to the ill-defined molecular structure of the MAO activator. The project aims at indirect characterization of the catalyst and its component by computational spectroscopy, resolving the computed spectral features by machine learning techniques to establish connection to the experiments for characterization of the catalyst, which would open door for rational catalyst development. The project is planned to be carried out in collaboration with an experimental research group at University of Perugia together with Qilu University of Technology for realization of computational spectroscopy – machine learning interface.

In the technique of spatial ghost imaging, the image of a sample is formed by detecting two correlated optical beams: the test beam passing through the sample is detected by a single-pixel detector, while the reference beam is detected by a camera with a high spatial resolution. Neither of two detection records is sufficient for building an image of the sample, which appears as a “ghost” only in the correlation function of the two records and relies on strong spatial correlations between the test and reference beams. In temporal ghost imaging, the image of a temporal object, whose transmittivity changes with time, is formed in a similar manner by detecting two temporally correlated optical beams. Both the spatial and temporal ghost imaging techniques attract much attention due to their inherent insensitivity to the distortion that may occur between the object and the single-pixel detector, allowing one to form high-resolution images in a strongly scattering medium, i.e. in optical coherence tomography or ultra-high frequency signal transmission. The purpose of this PhD project is to bring the ghost imaging technique to the mid-infrared range, where high-resolution cameras are not available. The candidate will develop a theory of ghost imaging, both spatial and temporal, with pairs of entangled photons generated in parametric downconversion with one photon in the visible and another in the mid-infrared ranges. S/he will find realistic sources and imaging systems for practical implementations of the developed theory in life science. The PhD student will gain international research experience by joint supervision and visits to the quantum optics group in the University of Lille (France).

Metamaterials are a type of engineered materials that have unique properties that are not commonly found in natural materials. In photonics, these metamaterials consist of either composite materials containing subwavelength-sized particles or lithographically patterned surfaces with subwavelength features. These materials can be dielectrics like oxides or nitrides, metals like gold or aluminum, or a combination of both. Structured metasurfaces can be used to modify the way light propagates, such as beam splitting, focusing, or altering the polarization and/or coherence properties of light. The focus of the Ph.D. study will be on structured metasurfaces made of single or multilayer dielectric materials. This work will include the design of surfaces using simulation tools that apply rigorous electromagnetic theory. However, the emphasis will be on the process development for the fabrication of metasurfaces using thin film deposition techniques for sample preparation and electron beam lithography for patterning. In addition, the work will include characterization of the fabricated elements and the measurement of their optical functionalities.

Light-emitting molecular materials play pivotal roles in the areas, ranging from already conventional lighting sources and LED-based displays to advanced photonic applications, which include information storage, encryption, sensing, imaging, medical diagnostics, and therapy. The evolution of these fields has been associated with responsive and adaptive light-emitting systems, capable of distinct changing their optical characteristics upon external stimuli (environmental change or energy input such as temperature, irradiation, mechanical force, pressure).
Hybrid materials, represented by the species composed of inorganic and organic ionic components, is a rapidly growing class of photofunctional materials, the properties of which arise from an interplay of both constituents, i.e. the cation-anion interactions and related energy transfer processes. Gaining control over their photophysical behavior in the solid state by means of rational molecular engineering is a challenging but a prospective strategy to generate unconventional features, broaden optical and analytical functionalities.

Topology is the study of the properties that remain unchanged as a system is continuously deformed by actions such as bending, twisting, or shearing. Over the past century, topology has been recognized as a useful tool in physics, due to Dirac’s analysis of magnetic monopoles, the discovery of the Aharonov-Bohm effect, as well as the discovery of the quantum Hall effect.Light is an excitation of the electromagnetic field, which is usually continuous and well-behaved. However, there can be isolated points (or even curves) in which this well-behaved nature breaks down. In these singular points (or singular curves) some variable associated with the field – such as phase or polarization – is undefined. This forces the amplitude of the field to vanish at that point. In analogy to fluid mechanics, such singular points are called vortices. Topology can be used to study and classify systems with such singularities. Topology may also enter optics research via the study of non-dynamical (geometrical) phases, optical caustics, solitons, or topological insulators.We wish to expand the study of the topological nature of light itself. While the above examples are applicable to specifically designed states of light, we recently found that all light beams have a topological nature. That is, the Fresnel propagation integral can be reduced to a topological problem [APL Phot. 8, 086106 (2023)]. This has several important implications:This allows us to employ techniques from topology to study the behavior of light.It also allows us to craft light with desired propagation properties.The topological problem is computationally much less expensive.The methods used for studying light may be transferable to other areas of science.The primary objective of the present theoretical project is to expand these findings. The proposed research is of fundamental importance, since we will be studying a novel aspect of light. The candidate who successfully defends their thesis within this project has very good employment prospects within academia, as well as industry. The techniques and results expected from the project are widely applicable to both cutting-edge research as well as industrial applications where the control of light is paramount (optical design, sensing, imaging, medical optics, etc.).

The research of the PhD-student aims to study, develop and implement new spectral and photoluminescent targeting techniques for oncological interventions, initially diffuse central nervous system, and head and neck tumours. The work of PhD student includes clinical hyper-spectral imaging and development of spectral image databases and AI-tools. In addition, detailed study of the spectral fluorescence properties of clinical fluorophores is followed by construction and through-out testing of optical setups for red/NIR-range deep-tissue fluorescence imaging. Development of AI-based methods for spectral image classification/segmentation for oncological applications, and AI-based methods for weak fluorescence detection from red/NIR-fluorescence images will be done.

The main subject is to study the beaming properties of nanoscale lasers. We aim to gain control over the crucial parameters, such as polarization, intensity, wavelength and topological properties of such lasers. The lasers are composed of arrays of nanoscale dielectric or metallic scatterers (known as photonic and plasmonic crystals, respectively) overlaid with optically pumped gain medium. The lasers are designed, fabricated, characterized and analyzed in-house at UEF Joensuu. We employ numerical and analytical methods to design the lattices to achieve the desired properties. The student can, upon one’s preference, participate in all of the subjects or choose one specific subject (numerical & analytical design, fabrication or characterization)..Other aspects of the work: participating in writing manuscripts to scientific publications, supervising BSc and MSc students, teaching fellow for the courses, participating in national and international research collaborations and conferences.

Interference is in the heart of quantum physics and optics, where wave superposition plays a key role. Besides the fundamental significance, interference has very important applied aspects. Such, for example, is the case with the plasmonic interferometry in the optical frequency range that has become an area of scientific research and a tool for different applications, including highly sensitive and compact chemical and biological sensors. Extension of plasmonic interferometry to the terahertz frequency range will allow for creation of novel terahertz optoelectronic devices, such as on-chip spectrometers and probably THz optical integrated circuits. The ambitious goal of the current project is to explore the possibilities of extrapolating the concepts of existing optical interferometers to THz plasma waves using graphene – a 2D material that supports plasmons with relatively large decay lengths.

Eye tracking is becoming a must have feature of future interactive systems. However, current solutions suffer from high system integration hurdles because of power consumption and compute requirements as well as from large footprint.In this doctoral project we will explore new types of sensors and approaches for future eye tracking technologies, consisting of novel materials with suitable electro-optical properties. Essential component of our approach is use of the terahertz radiation (THz) to probe the eyeball position. THz radiation is harmless for the human organs and it is not visible. The energy efficient and compact THz eye tracking system will implement the innovative concept of graphene-based transceiver.This project combines photonics, micro-electronics, computing, computer vision and machine learning approaches, and develops novel approaches to monitor the human eye. First part of the work will be conducted with focus on material physics, system development and experimentation, while later will develop applied solutions and prototypes.

In this project we study bianisotropic metasurfaces featuring high-Q resonances due to bound states in the continuum effect (BIC), which enables independence of the transmittance and reflectance on the angle of incidence. We demonstrate new family of thin THz metasurfaces and absorbers with Q –factor more than 1000, which has not been achieved yet, and to extend the theoretical framework based on topological approach pertaining to particles featuring intricate geometries. We experimentally study all dielectric metasurfaces. We fabricate ultrathin free-standing bianisotropic metasurfaces and to perform proof of concept measurements using THz time-domain spectroscopy.
The project will be implements in collaboration with Prof. Andrey Evlyukhin (Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany), Prof. Maria Kafesaki (IESL-FORTH, Greece) and Prof. Ladislau Matekovits (Politecnico di Torino, Italy). The doctoral researcher is expected to publish four or five JUFO 2 papers in the course of the PhD studies.

The projects aims to investigate how photonics applications can be transferred to sustainable business solutions. New business models to reach wider societal impact from this fundamental research will be studied.

As part of the ever growing field of organ-on-chip, the aim of the project is to develop placement and immobilization techniques for fluorescent oxygen and potassium sensitive probes. The probes will be integrated microfluidic organ-on-chip devices and functionality / performance in the chips will be optimized. Finally cytocompatibility of the device will be studied and the oxygen/potassium probes will be testing in probing neurological disorders on chip.

Soft robotics can be defined as a field which develops, designs, and constructs robots from soft materials. The controlled movement of soft robots is extremely difficult to achieve with mechanical actuators and electronic controllers and even more challenging by using soft materials. The aim of the proposed PhD project is to develop optically controllable cell-based actuators, and to characterize their performance. In this context, Optogenetic tools will be used construct different cell lines which can be utilized as cell-based, self-healing and proliferating light responsive actuators. Furthermore, Various optogenetic tools will be introduced to cells to achieve rapid contraction and cellular force production, which can be controlled spatially and temporally by light stimulus.

Injectable soft materials (natural polymers) are promising in tissue engineering. However, at present, while found promising as drug delivery system, the drug release is mainly dictated by diffusion processes. Another challenge with large volumes of hydrogel is the oxygen shortage inside the hydrogels. There is a growing need towards on demand release of drugs or oxygen and in that regards, photoactivated release holds great potential. The aim of the project is to develop photoactive composites thereby photonic crystals will be functionalized for optimal dispersion within the polymer matrix and loaded with photo-releasable substances. These hybrid biomaterials will be studied in terms of rheology for optimal viscosity and flow properties, to assess the extrusion/printing window, and their cytocompatibility and functionality will be evaluated utilizing relevant cell lines.

Developing versatile and personalized medical devices is becoming a growing challenges in our modern society. To allow patient specific treatment we aim at developing 3D printed bioactive glass scaffolds for bone tissue engineering, loaded with phosphors to photorelease active agent (such as anticancer drug, antimicrobial agent or pain killer) in a control manner. The phD student will study the pharmacokinetic of photoreleased drug and study the impact of light emission/excitation on human cell behaviour.

The next step in microelectronics integration is the utilization of SIP (System-In-Package) structures to enable supercomputer level of processing and communications in a small form factor, by integrating a multitude of specialized chips with extremely wide bandwidth interconnects. New solutions must be found, because of the many next level performance phenomena.

Cardiovascular diseases account for 31% of global deaths and costs over $1T by 2035. Diagnosis of such diseases is performed by medical doctors assisted by signal analysis as the primary decision-making tool. The objective is to develop novel Generative AI decision-making tools for the purpose of biomedical signal restoration, synthesis, and transformation applications. Raw sensorial data is often noisy, scarce and expensive. The problem is addressed as a blind restoration and the results allow doctors to perform accurate diagnosis. Large data is costly to produce but needed for model training. Hence, the second objective is to synthesise large-scale bio-signals. Finally, high quality bio-signals are rather expensive to produce. Therefore, our objective is to design virtual machines to transform lower resolution into higher resolution data. We train one doctoral student to develop novel Generative AI models and work closely with medical doctors to validate the proposed approaches.

We consider the analysis and modeling of imaging degradations such as noise and bias encountered at the boundary of the operating envelope of scanning microscopes (e.g., confocal microscopy, X-ray microtomography, etc.) and other scientific and medical imagers (e.g., limited-angle digital breast tomosynthesis systems). Particular emphasis is placed on extreme cases of 1) ultra-low signal-to-noise ratio; 2) ultra-low dynamic range; 3) long-range noise correlation. The research aims to provide models that can assist the characterization, analysis, and enhancement of images to ultimately extend the applicability of the devices and improve their performance.

The project has two research objectives: (1) Develop, optimize and integrate metasurfaces with neural networks for computational hyperspectral imaging. (2) Use the sensed data to analyse material reflectances and co-optimze a new spectral data sampling method with multiple wavelength selection for a subsequent rendering based on path tracing. The expected outcomes are minituarized and portable hypespectral imaging systems and related new pipelines for ultra-realistic scene representation, spectral rendering and immersive display.

The fast development of brain-inspired neuromorphic computing systems has stimulated requirements for urgent developments of artificial synapses and neurons with ultralow-power consumption with capabilities for biologically plausible computing. In this doctoral study, photonic synaptic and neuron devices will be fabricated and characterized. In the artificial synaptic device, the incident light pulses would play the roles of action potentials, and the light-generated carriers would modify the pre-and post-synaptic membrane potential, similar to the neurotransmitter in biological synapses. Key synaptic functions, like photonic memory, multiple timescale synaptic plasticity, paired pulse facilitation and depression, dynamic “learning–forgetting” etc. will be investigated while for the photonic neurons, the task would be to identify and build systems that can integrate temporally-encoded pixel data at high speed and fire fast optical spikes upon detecting desired image features. Finally, the photonic system will be combined with a software-implemented neural network that will provide a full platform for complex image classification tasks.

The project will focus on the design, synthesis and characterization of low-toxicity perovskite-inspired semiconductors for ptoelectronic applications, primarily outdoor and indoor photovoltaics. The structure-property relationships in these materials will be elucidated, in turn enabling the development of  high-efficiency devices. The device components (e.g., charge-transport layers) will be ad-hoc selected and fine-tuned to ensure effective charge transport and collection.

This project aims to develop a novel light-driven, non-equilibrium material platform for interactions among teams of micro robots. It will focus on creating responsive materials with multiple stimuli-responsiveness and excellent light controllability. These materials will be integrated into recently developed model systems from the research group to achieve autonomous functionalities among light-fueled robots.

This project focuses on materials whose dimensions as well as optical and mechanical properties can be reversibly controlled with light. When confined to thin films, such “photomechanical” materials enable precise fabrication of diffractive optical elements, e.g., for applications in augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) technologies. Within the project, you get to develop a synergistic approach combining photomechanics with digital holographic to precisely monitor photoinduced movements and optical properties in different types of light-responsive materials and harness them for fabrication of tunable photonic components.

This project aims at synthesizing and characterizing donor–acceptor heterodimers that are confined within a water-soluble supramolecular metal–organic coordination cage. The confinement forces the donor and acceptor molecules in close vicinity, enabling through-space charge transfer, and further boosts intersystem crossing of organic materials. The boosted intersystem crossing will enable thermally-activated delayed fluorescence, on which the current state-of-the-art OLEDs are based. Within the project, you will learn how to fabricate the confined heterodimers (chemistry), characterize them using steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy (photophysics), and finally fabricate emissive devices such as organic light-emitting diodes and electrochemical cells (organic electronics). The interdisciplinary nature of the project provides experience at the crossroads of all the listed fields, and as such is suitable for candidates with chemistry, physics, or materials science backgrounds.

This project aims to fabricate highly luminescent and photothermally stable nanomaterials. The materials of choice include but are not limited to, surface functionalized noble metal nanoparticles, atomically precise nanoclusters, and hybrid systems to achieve rapid, precise, and accurate detection of biomarkers. The doctoral candidate should have prior knowledge and expertise in nanoparticle synthesis, functionalization, and characterization.

An automated, sensor-based sorting of materials is required in circular economy to achieve high recovery and recycling rates. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy enables rapid detection of elemental composition of materials. Here, we develop and apply the method for application areas like recycling of lithium-ion batteries. The project includes building and development of spectroscopical setups, development of calibration methods for accurate elemental concentrations, and analysis of elemental composition in various environments.

The project targets the development of light sources for sensing exploiting advanced photonic integration concepts. The research topics include the design of photonic integrated circuits, technology development for high precision integration of III-V optoelectronic chips with silicon photonics circuitry, as well as device and applications related characterization. Such integrated light sources are particularly relevant for sensing applications at 2- 3um wavelength region for monitoring environmental gases and biomedical markers. The research field experiences a fast development, pushed for example by the expansion of medical wearable applications.

The aim of this project is to develop a new set of theoretical tools, based on field-theoretical concepts and nonlinear electrodynamics models beyond Maxwell’s equations, to provide a comprehensive description of nonperturbative nonlinear classical and quantum optics effects occurring in exotic materials, such as 2D, epsilon-near-zero materials and metamaterials, for which the traditional approach of perturbative nonlinear optics (i.e., susceptibility) fails to give a rigorous description of nonlinear light-matter interaction in such materials.

Multimode fibers are complex systems with many degrees of freedom and the propagation of intense light in them is associated with a rich landscape of nonlinear dynamics offering new avenues to structure light. The project will focus on the generation of beams in multimode fibers that vary periodically in both space and time. Such artificial spatio-temporal crystals exhibit unique properties that will provide a new toolbox for the generation of structured light beams with applications in laser development, high-resolution imaging and sensing. The project involves theoretical, numerical and experimental studies.

The project will focus on the design and development of ultra-narrow linewidth high-power laser operating at 2.1 um wavelength. The laser design will include all-fiber architecture and high-precision in-situ wavelength modulation. This laser source will be tested for contactless laser-based hydrogen molecular sensing.

This project aims to advance the technology and applications of photonic integrated circuits. The goals are to prepare photonic integrated circuits, automate microassembly of optical fibers to polymer waveguides, and integrate the developed techniques into existing manufacturing processes.

The student will be in charge of drawing new composite fiber using a different approach than the traditional glass-ceramic fiber technology. Here, the crystalline nanoparticles will be first synthesized with target crystalline phase and rare-earth doping and then added in the glass matrix offering the possibility of preparing a large variety of new fibers with diverse functionality and limited fiber loss (<50dB/m) for various applications. The project targets to provide solutions for functionality integration. It will focus on the development of distributed fiber sensors, laser cooling and faraday rotator component.

The research project hosted by Surface Science Group at Tampere University is focused on conversion of carbon dioxide and water into synthetic fuels and feedstock chemicals with electrochemical and photoelectrochemical processes. This artificial photosynthesis approach has been recognized in the EU Green Deal to be one of the most strategically important ways for decreasing atmospheric carbon dioxide at sustainable levels, while simultaneously satisfying the increasing global needs for non-fossil fuels and feedstock chemicals.

Develop rigorous diffraction (forward) models to accurately simulate the interaction of light with linear diffraction layers (LDL) and non-linear activation layers (NLAL); Derive backpropagation relations to complete an all-optical deep learning framework to optimize LDL and NLAL parameters; Fabricate LDL phase masks and NLALs and demonstrate the performance of AONN on computer vision application cases.

During this project, we will investigate metasurfaces exhibiting collective excitations. We will investigate how coupling of adjacent nanoparticles, a key process in formation of collective excitations, can be modified by utilizing hybrid waveguide systems. We will also study formation of large-scale collective excitations, such as dark collective modes, and optimal mode coupling into such excitations via structured illumination.

The project aims at studying and benefiting from the complex interplay between different degrees of freedom in the context of high-dimensional photonic quantum states. Using advanced  integrated modulation schemes, novel quantum states of light will be implemented in the laboratory. In addition, their theoretical advantage over simpler quantum systems will be investigated and the most promising features experimentally demonstrated. The main focus will be towards applications in quantum technological areas, such as advanced sensing mechanisms as well as high-dimensional quantum communication.