Find More Than 10K+
United Kingdom Jobs

Directorate: School of Engineering & Physical Sciences
Grade: Grade 6 (£29,605-£34,980)
Contract Type: Full Time (1FTE) Fixed Term (3 Months)

Rewards and Benefits: 33 days annual leave, plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday) for all full time staff. Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University

Detailed Description

This role aims to develop and evaluate next-generation imaging methodologies relevant to defence and security applications. In particular, the applications that are of interest are non-line-of-sight imaging, object detection in scattering media at long ranges, and automatic target recognition. We will evaluate single-photon time-of-flight lidar, synthetical aperture and synthetic wavelength methods, computational imaging including neural networks, and data fusion between optical and radar sensors.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Work with colleagues and line manager to devise and perform experiments, modelling and analysis consistent with the goals of the project.
• Design, build and test the optical configuration of a single-photon imaging system. This may include simulations of the optical design prior to build of the system.
• Write research reports and publications based on the outputs of the work. Disseminate results of research in peer reviewed journals and conferences, and/or other appropriate media. Continue to update personal knowledge and to develop skills within own specialist research area. Maintain written records of research results and progress generated intellectual property and data analysis. Contribute to the production of research reports and publications.
• Build internal contacts and participate in internal networks for the exchange of information and to form relationships for future collaboration. Work with academic colleagues on areas of shared research interest and contribute to collaborative decision making. Join external networks to share information and identify potential sources of funds.
• Provide guidance as required to support staff, research students and any other students who may be assisting with the research.
• Contribute, under supervision, to the planning of research projects, including the development of new grant/contract proposals. Make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding and form relationships for future collaboration.
• We are looking for a creative and highly motivated researcher willing to work as part of a team.
• The ideal candidate will have a strong experience in optical design. Good theoretical understanding and experimental background in optical imaging or closely related field is highly desirable.
• Good communication skills and an appropriate publication record are essential.
• General tasks will involve design, construction, and testing of optical systems based on single-photon detection; collaborating with local researchers on the lab-based experiment; analysis and interpretation of data; daily oversight of the activities of postgraduate and undergraduate project students in the laboratory; communication with other investigators involved in this collaborative project; preparation of scientific papers; presentation of research at conferences.
• The successful candidate will be expected to conduct and lead their own experiments.
• Responsibilities will also include assistance in the day-to-day maintenance of the experimental facilities, liaising with companies and external collaborators.
The successful candidate is also expected to be involved in our outreach activities, with roles that can be tuned to the specific preferences of the candidate but will involve for example interviews, talks for the general public and preparation of experimental demonstrators.

Education, Qualifications and Experience

Essential Criteria

• Applicants should hold a degree in Physics or a relevant area of optical engineering .
• Working knowledge of free-space optics, optical instrumentation, and practical free-space optical design.
• Possess and maintain sufficient breadth or depth of specialist discipline knowledge in imaging and or research methods and techniques to work the area of imaging using single-photon techniques.
• Ability to formulate and progress work on their own initiative.
• Experience in writing and managing peer-reviewed papers.
• Strong theoretical understanding and thorough grounding in experimental techniques relevant to the project.
• Ability to articulate research work, both in technical reports/papers and by oral presentation.
• Must be able to work as part of a team on the experiments at Heriot-Watt University and more widely with the collaborators at other Universities and industrial partners.
• Experience of programming for data acquisition (e.g. MATLAB, Python, C/C++), analysis of data, and interfacing with multiple parts of equipment.
• Hands-on experimental work experience.
• Experience in leading the writing of scientific papers.
Energy and enthusiasm for the project.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of optical design simulation software (e.g. Zemax)
• Experience with CAD software.
• A candidate with ambitions to work in industry or an applied research lab.
• Experience with CMOS single-photon avalanche diode detector arrays
• Experience in industry or collaborating with industry.
Applicants should hold a master
• 's degree in a relevant area. (Applicants should have submitted their thesis first draft by the start date.)

About our Team

The Single-Photon Group at Heriot-Watt have a long:standing track record in researching ground-breaking single‑photon detection and applications in quantum communications and single-photon imaging. With single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detectors, we initiated and led collaborations to produce the first custom-designed InGaAs/InP single-photon avalanche diode detector (2006), first strained SiGe SPAD (2002), and custom-designed Ge-on-Si SPAD (2013), and first planar Ge-on-Si SPAD (2018). In quantum communications systems: work in the field led to a world record transmission distance quantum key distribution system (2001); the first demonstration of a quantum key distribution system operating at GHz clock:rate over an optical fibre link (2004); the first experimental demonstrations of quantum digital signatures (including the first experimental demonstration of quantum digital signatures over installed optical fibre in the Tokyo network) (2015 and 2017), and several novel coherent state amplification experiments. We have pioneered single-photon three-dimensional imaging since the 1990's and continue to innovate, for example being the first to make underwater single-photon imaging demonstrations (2015), first measurements through camouflage (2017), first measurements through fog (2018), and first single-photon full colour image reconstruction (2018).

Our group has seven laboratories with a total floor area of more than 120 m2, including space within a collaborative facility leveraging the skills and technologies of local EPSRC Quantum Enhanced Imaging Hub and EPSRC Quantum Communications Hub colleagues. The research group has direct ownership of world:leading state:of:the:art equipment with a total value in excess of £3.5 million and shared access to the national network of resources from the Quantum Technology Hub Network. Furthermore, we have a global network of fellow world-leading researchers - offering the possibility of exchanges and collaborations. Access to these resources will allow a motivated candidate to play a pivotal role in a new research direction, taking quantum detection technologies underwater for three‑dimensional single‑photon imaging.

How to Apply

Please submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system (1) Cover letter describing their interest and suitability for the post; (2) Full CV

Applications can be submitted until midnight on 29th August 2023.

At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/ .

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options.

Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.