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New UCL-Cambridge Centre for Doctoral Training in Integrated Photonic and Electronic Systems funded

publication date: Dec 19, 2013
 | 
author/source: UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering

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Graduates from the Centre’s four year PhD programme will lead new industries based on the optimal integration of photonics in electronic systems

UCL and Cambridge University have successfully gained funding for a new Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Integrated Photonic and Electronic Systems (IPES). The new Centre builds on the enormous success of the EPSRC funded collaboration between these two world-leading universities who set up a joint CDT for Photonic Systems Development in 2009.

The new Centre aims to train researchers to lead a new generation of industries providing products and systems, based on the close and optimal integration of photonics with electronics. The Centre brings together multi-disciplinary, cutting edge research activities1 from groups in photonics, communications, electronic engineering, nanotechnology, physics, materials, computer science, manufacturing, biomedical engineering, biotechnology, civil engineering and chemical engineering with contributions from more than 35 collaborating companies to provide an outstanding training environment for its students2. The funding announced today will enable 5 cohorts of PhD students to be trained in the Centre over the next 8 years.

Director of the new Centre, Professor Alwyn Seeds from UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering said: “We are delighted that the EPSRC have funded the new Centre in Integrated Photonic and Electronic Systems. Given the success of our existing Centre in Photonic Systems Development over the last 5 years, we believe that the time is now right for the new Centre to move ahead and address new integrative technologies for future products and systems. Photonics is embedded within a very wide range of systems, ranging from sensing through data centres and communications to displays. In almost every case photonics must be combined with electronics and software to create a working system.

The new Centre builds on work we have already undertaken to broaden the training of researchers to strengthen their appreciation of the systems context of technology research. Our aim will now be to increase pull-through of underpinning work in the physical and material sciences to advance the integration of photonic and electronic systems, leading to step improvements in electronic system performance through the use of photonics technology, radical systems cost reduction and a broadening of the applications field for electronics and photonics. To do this we have brought together key research groups from Cambridge and UCL to create a training environment of unparalleled richness.

UK Photonics and UK electronics are large industries with annual revenues of £10 billion and £29 billion respectively. We have been very pleased to have the strong support of more than 35 leading companies who will contribute to the work of the new Centre. Together we will train researchers to create a new generation of products and systems where photonics and electronics are fully and optimally integrated. The change in systems that this will enable is as profound as the development of the Personal Computer from a simple stand-alone device to the fully networked information appliance that we have today. The benefits to the UK economy will be correspondingly large."

The CDT in Integrated Photonic and Electronic Systems is one of 70 Centres for Doctorial Training which will share £350 million of EPSRC funding that will be used to train 3,500 post graduate students across 24 universities. Funding for the centres was announced today by Universities and Science Minister, David Willetts.

Science Minister David Willetts said: “Scientists and engineers are vital to our economy and society. It is their talent and imagination, as well as their knowledge and skills that inspire innovation and drive growth across a range of sectors, from manufacturing to financial services.

“I am particularly pleased to see strong partnerships between universities, industry and business among the new centres announced today. This type of collaboration is a key element of our industrial strategy and will continue to keep us at the forefront of the global science race.”


more about PhD programme


About UCL (University College London)

Founded in 1826, UCL was the first English university established after Oxford and Cambridge, the first to admit students regardless of race, class, religion or gender and the first to provide systematic teaching of law, architecture and medicine.

We are among the world's top universities, as reflected by our performance in a range of international rankings and tables. According to the Thomson Scientific Citation Index, UCL is the second most highly cited European university and the 15th most highly cited in the world.

UCL has nearly 27,000 students from 150 countries and more than 9,000 employees, of whom one third are from outside the UK. The university is based in Bloomsbury in the heart of London, but also has two international campuses – UCL Australia and UCL Qatar. Our annual income is more than £800 million.


more about UCL


About UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering

The Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at UCL was the first department of Electrical Engineering to be established in England, founded in 1885, and now comprises some 200 researchers working on topics in communications and information systems, electronic materials and devices, optical networks, photonics and sensors, systems and circuits, with turnover exceeding £14 million. It has consistently been rated among the top ten UK Departments in its subject area in the UK Government's Research Assessment Exercise. In 2009, alumnus Sir Charles K. Kao received the Nobel Prize for Physics for his invention of low loss optical fibres and their application to global communication systems. Since 2011 the Department has been awarded three EPSRC Programme Grants, totalling £18 million for work in photonic information and communication technologies and nanoelectronic quantum devices. In 2012 the department was awarded ‘Electronic and Electrical Engineering Department of the Year’ in the European Electronics Industry Awards.


more about UCL EEE


About Cambridge University Department of Engineering

The Department of Engineering is the largest department in the University of Cambridge, representing approximately 10% of the University's activities by the majority of common metrics, and is one of Europe's largest integrated engineering departments. It achieves the highest standards in both research and teaching. Its international reputation attracts the best students, academics, sponsors and partners from around the world.

Photonics is an active and growing area of research in the Electrical Engineering division with three groups investigating different aspects of photonics, applications and materials whilst collaborating with each other and a variety of industrial partners.


more about Cambridge University DofE




 

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