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Faculty of School of Chemical and Process Engineering

Research Fellow in Photonic Devices Engineering Fixed Term, 2 Years

You will become part of a team of researchers on the Seamless integration of Materials for (Seamatics) project. Led by the University of Leeds, Seamatics brings together a team of leading UK researchers in photonic materials and devices, from the Universities of Leeds, Cambridge, York, and Sheffield. The project addresses the lack of a cost-effective and versatile integrated production process and materials platform for the manufacture of Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs). The ultrafast laser plasma implantation (ULPI) manufacturing process uses lasers with pulse durations in the femtosecond range to produce high density and high kinetic energy plasma for optical waveguide fabrication with high concentration rare earth doping.

A new manufacturing facility will be set up at Leeds in 2016 to scale up the process. The new platform offers the on-chip integration of photonic functionalities such as waveguiding, light amplification, lasing, optical switching, and power splitting. We also aim to combine semiconductor, glass and polymer materials to enable PICs to meet the emerging demands of the optical communications, solid state lighting and microphotonic sensors/imaging device industries.

Your role will involve the design and fabrication of integrated micro lasers, waveguide amplifiers and lasers, manufacturing of waveguide devices using ULPI and prototyping. You will undertake routine and specialised laboratory work in these areas of research, and will develop new experimental/optical characterisation techniques.

You will have a PhD (including thesis submitted) in a relevant engineering or physical science subject with experience in rare earth doped glasses, spectroscopy (UV-VIS-NIR, Fluoresence, Raman, prism coupling) techniques, optical waveguides, lasers, ultrafast laser materials processing and optical sensing.

The University of Leeds’ commitment to women in science has been recognised with a national accolade. The Faculty of Engineering has been awarded the Athena SWAN Silver Award and the University holds the Bronze Award in recognition of our success in recruiting, retaining and developing/promoting women in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET).

The University offers generous terms and conditions of employment, a wide range of benefits, services, facilities and family friendly policies. Full details are available on the Human Resources web pages accessible at www.leeds.ac.uk/hr/index.htm

University Grade 7 £31,656 – £37,768

Informal enquiries may be made to Professor Gin Jose, Tel: +44 (0)113 343 2536, Email: [email protected]

Closing Date: 18 August 2016

Ref: ENGPE1076

Click here for further information about working at the University of Leeds www.leeds.ac.uk/info/20025/university_jobs Job Description

Responsible to: Head of School Reports to: Professor Gin Jose

Job summary

You will be responsible for day to day management of the EPSRC Seamatics project in coordination with the line manger, other researchers, collaboratiors and PhD students. You will develop new materials using the Ultrafast Laser Plasma Implantation Manufacturing facility for micro lasers, waveguide lasers, waveguide amplifiers and optical sensors.

Main duties and responsibilities

 To prepare femtosecond laser implanted/deposited materials for micro/solid state lasers and waveguide devices  Fabricate and characterise rare earth doped micro lasers on glass and semiconductors  Fabricate and characterize photonic integrated circuits including photonic sensors on glass and semiconductor platforms  Develop advanced photonic characterization techniques and setups to advance the research in the area of PICs  Develop research objectives and proposals and contribute to setting the direction of the research project and team.  Continually update your understanding of the field, applying this knowledge to your research.  Work both independently and also as part of a larger team of researchers.  Ensure good day-to-day progress of work and that project objectives are met, and maintain good records and laboratory notebooks.  Prepare papers for publication in leading international journals and write reports, independently.  Build contacts and participate in networks for the exchange of information and to form relationships for future collaboration.  Contribute to the training of both undergraduate and postgraduate students, including assisting with the supervision of projects in areas relevant to the project.  Prepare proposals for funding in collaboration with others working on the project.  Work within and apply the standard operating procedures, health and safety regulations and quality assurance procedures of the School, Faculty and University.  Any other duties as may reasonably be required, consistent with the grade of the post.

Key Working Relationships

You report to Professor Gin Jose and work closely with Professor. Animesh Jha, Dr. Eric Kumi Barimah and Dr. Jayakrishnan Chandrappan at the School of Chemical and Process Engineering, and Dr. Paul Steenson at the School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

Career Expectations

The University of Leeds is committed to developing its staff. All staff participate in the Staff Review and Development scheme and we continue to work with individuals, supporting them to maximise their potential.

Progression to a higher grade is dependent on an individual taking on an increased level of responsibility. Vacancies that arise within the area or across the wider University are advertised on the HR website - http://jobs.leeds.ac.uk - to allow staff to apply for wider career development opportunities.

University Values

All staff are expected to operate in line with the University’s values and standards, which work as an integral part of our strategy and set out the principles of how we work together. More information about the University’s strategy and values is available at http://www.leeds.ac.uk/comms/strategy/.

Person Specification

Essential

 A PhD (including thesis submitted) in Photonics/related subjects or equivalent, significant industry/research experience  Experience of ultrafast laser plasma materials processing  Experience of working with high power/ultrafast lasers and laser spectroscopy  Experience in the use and maintenance of vacuum systems or coatings development  Experience in solid state (rare earth doped) laser devices design, fabrication and characterization  Experience in design and fabrication of optical waveguide devices (amplifiers, lasers, sensors etc)  Experience in Spectroscopic characterisation of materials (fluorescence, Raman, FTIR, prism coupling and UV-VIS-NIR)Good interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal  Proven track record of peer-reviewed publications in high impact factor journals  Proven ability to work well both individually and in a team  Good time management and planning skills, with the ability to meet tight deadlines  Demonstrate an understanding of the diverse nature of the University’s community and a willingness to work effectively with staff, students and visitors from a wide range of backgrounds

Desirable

 Awareness of Intellectual property, industrial collaboration building and commercialisation of research  Experience of working in clean room environment

Additional Information

The University offers generous terms and conditions of employment, a wide range of benefits, services, facilities and family friendly policies. Full details are available on the Human Resources web pages accessible at www.leeds.ac.uk/hr

The Partnership

The Partnership has been developed by students and staff and describes the mutual expectations of us all as members of the University of Leeds community. More information about the Partnership is available at http://partnership.leeds.ac.uk

Disclosure and Barring Service checks

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check is not required for this position. However, applicants who have unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings, including any pending criminal proceedings must indicate this in the ‘other personal details’ section of the application form and send details to the Recruitment Officer at [email protected].

Disabled Applicants

The post is located in the School of Chemical and Process Engineering. Disabled applicants wishing to review access to the building are invited to contact the department direct. Additional information may be sought from the Recruitment Officer, email [email protected] or tel + 44 (0)113 343 1723.

Disabled applicants are not obliged to inform employers of their disability but will still be covered by the Equality Act once their disability becomes known.

Further information for applicants with disabilities, impairments or health conditions is available in the applicant guidance. Further information about the Faculty/School/Service

The University of Leeds is a Top 100 university for Engineering and Technology - Times Higher World University Rankings 2014.

The Faculty of Engineering is one of the largest engineering groupings in the UK with over 700 staff, 3,000 students and an annual turnover of around £60m.

Our focus is on providing research based teaching and supervision, inspiring our students and through this helping our students to achieve their goals and ambitions. The range and scope of our research is extensive and covers all of the major engineering disciplines, including cross cutting themes such as energy, materials, medical engineering and , with theoretical, experimental and modelling work underpinning all areas.

This provides an ideal platform for multidisciplinary research, enabling us to undertake high-impact research in areas recognised as providing critical global challenges. Much of our research is linked to industry, with major collaborators throughout the UK and Europe. We have also aligned our Faculty with industry sectors such as digital technologies, energy, high value chemicals and medical technologies, and undertake further interdisciplinary research in areas as diverse as functional materials, and water.

Teaching and research is delivered through the following five schools:

 School of Chemical and Process Engineering  School of  School of Computing  School of Electronic and  School of

There is a friendly atmosphere and student-focused approach to undergraduate and postgraduate education. We pride ourselves on the Professionalism of our staff and the quality of the research environment, promoting excellence by offering a range of cutting edge programmes, many in conjunction with industrial sponsors and collaborators. www.engineering.leeds.ac.uk

The School of Chemical and Process Engineering has a track record of high quality research delivered by world leading academics in three established research centres of excellence: Energy Research Institute; Institute for Materials Research; Institute of Particle Science and Engineering.

With 100 academic and research staff and over 800 students (from 70 countries) the School is a major international player in the field of chemical, process, energy and materials engineering.

 Ranking: 4th in the UK for by The Complete University Guide; 11th in the Guardian league table; 6th in the Times Good University Guide; 8th in the Sunday Times league table.  Courses accredited by the relevant Professoressional bodies (check website for full details).  Research feeds directly into teaching, which means students will learn about the latest developments within their subject from world-class academics.  Strong industrial focus and links ensure the topicality of the degree programmes and the impact of School’s research.  85% of recent graduates have successfully secured positions with organisations or have gone on to further study. (2010/11 DLHE survey).  Vibrant industrially-focussed graduate school of ca. 200 research students supported through three dedicated EPSRC Centres for Doctoral Training (Bioenergy; Complex Particulate Products and Processes; Next Generation Nuclear)  Excellent research facilities which provide our students with a creative and stimulating learning environment including laboratories equipped with the latest technology for advanced particle science and engineering research together with computational modelling facilities for chemical product design. These span the areas of molecular synthesis, compound isolation/purification, separation and formulation together with in-process analysis and product characterisation.  Specialist facilities include X-ray diffraction and scattering, scanning and transmission electron microscopes, surface analysis, kilo-scale chemical process and formulation laboratories, access to national facilities such as high performance computing, synchrotron and neutron sources etc.

http://www.engineering.leeds.ac.uk/chemical