DC 4: Time-Varying Metamaterials for Light

Imperial Enterprise; Greater London; On-site; GBP 19,000 - 23,000; Full time

Job summary

Imperial College London invites applications for a Doctoral Candidate position in the Department of Physics. Starting date: February 2027.

The project focuses on designing and ultrafast optical characterization of ENZ space–time metamaterials, including secondments for ellipsometry and material testing. The successful candidate will gain deep expertise in femtosecond temporal modulation and ultrafast optical methods, contributing to development of next-generation metasurfaces with controllable

Responsibilities

• Achieve strong refractive-index modulation of epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterials at femtosecond timescales.
• Observe light diffraction from moving refractive-index fronts.
• Realize a dynamical metasurface with a fully controllable optical response.

Job description

Doctoral Candidate position at the Department of Physics, Imperial College London, United Kingdom

Objectives:

• Achieve strong refractive-index modulation of epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterials at femtosecond timescales
• Observe light diffraction from moving refractive-index fronts
• Realize a dynamical metasurface with a fully controllable optical response

During the thesis, the candidate will develop core expertise in the design, femtosecond temporal modulation, and ultrafast optical characterization of metal–dielectric epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) space–time metamaterials, further strengthened through secondments at TU/e (ellipsometry and characterization) and AMAT (ENZ material development and testing).

Starting date: February 2027