Industrial Doctorate Centre in Optics and Photonics … Industrial Perspective ... have the opportunity to suggest a different pairing if they prefer. We continue to promote a programme

Industrial Doctorate Centre in Optics and

Photonics Technologies

www.idcphotonics.hw.ac.uk

Annual Report

2012

Contents

Foreword ............................................................................................................................................... 3

Principal Contacts ................................................................................................................................. 4

At a Glance: The Epsrc Industrial Doctorate Centre in Optics and Photonics Technologies .................... 5

A Distributed Model for Photonics Doctoral Training............................................................................... 6

Specialist Courses Add Value to the EngD Programme .......................................................................... 7

Research Themes .................................................................................................................................. 9

Our Research Engineers and Their Projects ........................................................................................... 9

Case Study – Mathieu Rayer ...............................................................................................................13

New Starts In 2012 ..............................................................................................................................14

Graduations In 2012 ............................................................................................................................14

Impact .................................................................................................................................................15

Media Coverage ..................................................................................................................................16

Journal Publications, Conference Proceedings, Conference Presentations and Patent Applications .....17

Feedback from Our Industrial Partners .................................................................................................17

An Industrial Perspective .....................................................................................................................18

Industrial Sponsors Satisfaction Survey ...............................................................................................18

Our Industrial Partners .........................................................................................................................20

Events .................................................................................................................................................22

Regional Groups ..................................................................................................................................23

A New Look Online ..............................................................................................................................24

Alumni .................................................................................................................................................25

Our Research Project Supervisors .......................................................................................................26

Appendix 1 - List of Publications, Proceedings, Presentations and Patents .........................................28

Foreword

his report provides an opportunity to reflect on our

objectives as a Centre and on how well we are satisfying

them. Since January 2012, my initial priority has been to

develop a plan for greater engagement of our Research

Engineers in our operational processes, and in the delivery

of our teaching and research programme.

With research projects distributed across the UK from

Dundee to Torquay, we must take special care to ensure

our Research Engineers feel a sense of ownership

and belonging, and are not isolated within their host

company. During 2012 we established several initiatives

to provide Research Engineers with greater support from

the Centre, as well as with opportunities to engage more

with each other.

An important step has been the creation of a formalised

quarterly review process. Not only does this represent a

new mechanism enabling Research Engineers to access

regular review meetings with their academic and industrial

supervisors, but it also allows minor problems to be

identified and addressed before they have escalated.

Our cohort has now been mapped into regional groups,

with the purpose of facilitating our community of Research

Engineers to socialise, network and provide / receive

professional support. Each group receives an annual

budget from the Centre, and is coordinated by one of our

Research Engineers, who is responsible for organising

meetings and for providing occasional feedback to the

Centre.

A peer-to-peer mentoring scheme has also been set up,

in which first and second-year Research Engineers are

assigned a more senior mentor within the cohort, but

have the opportunity to suggest a different pairing if they

prefer.

We continue to promote a programme of peer-to-peer

webinars, which provide a friendly forum through which

Research Engineers can exchange technical knowledge

and gain experience of presenting to an audience.

Recognising that company practice may restrict how

Research Engineers can present their research on a

corporate web page, we recently launched a new Centre

website, which includes the facility for them to personalise

their own profile by uploading pictures, files, publications

and project updates.

Individuals from across the forty organisations

represented by our academic and industrial partners

contribute to the activities of the Centre. On behalf of the

EngD team at Heriot-Watt I would like to thank them for

their continuing support, and I look forward to working

with them in 2013.

Professor Derryck T. Reid

Director, EPSRC Industrial Doctorate Centre in Optics and

Photonics Technologies

T

3

PrinCiPal ContaCts

Centre executive

academic Partners

Prof. derryck reidDirector

Tel 0131 451 3652Email [email protected]

Ms. alison lowAdministrator


dr. Bill MacPhersonDeputy Director


Mrs. linda BruceSecretary


Mr. sean FarrellIT support


Prof. erling riisIDC Coordinator, University of Strathclyde

Tel 0141 548 3490/3371Email [email protected]

dr. tom BrownIDC Coordinator, University of St Andrews


dr. nigel JohnsonIDC Coordinator, University of Glasgow


at a glanCe: the ePsrC industrial doCtorate Centre in oPtiCs and PhotoniCs teChnologies

CourseCommittee

academic supervisors

individual supervisors

research engineers

executive team

Management Committee

supervision

strategicdirection

support & information

reporting

course delivery

feedback

programmeoversight

supervision

academic Partners

contract arrangementsap

prai

sal p

rocess

new supervisorsnew industria

l cont

acts

4 5

a distriButed Model For PhotoniCs doCtoral training

The EPSRC Industrial Doctorate Centre in Optics and

Photonics Technologies is led by Heriot-Watt University

and delivered in partnership with the Universities of St

Andrews, Strathclyde and Glasgow. Complementing

this academic consortium are 35 industrial partners,

who contribute financial support to the Centre as well

as substantial levels of supervision time and practical

resources sustaining around 55 EngD projects.

Our consortium draws from a pool of around 100

academic supervisors, each a specialist in a unique area

of Photonics. Together with our industrial partners and the

Research Engineers themselves, we form a community

of over 200 researchers, the largest Photonics research

network in the UK.

Our academic and industrial partners meet biannually

at the Centre Management Committee, which receives

progress reports from the Director and includes a

representative from the EngD student cohort and from the

EPSRC.

the 2012/13 ManageMent CoMMittee

CoMPrises:

susan Peacock EPSRC

nigel aldridge BAE Systems

nick weston Renishaw

Jon ward Gooch and Housego

allan Colquhoun Selex ES

Barry Connor Thales

nick hay Powerlase Photonics

scott McCulloch AWE

derryck reid Director, Heriot-Watt University

Bill MacPherson Deputy Director,

Heriot-Watt University

duncan hand Heriot-Watt University

tom Brown St Andrews University

nigel Johnson University of Glasgow

erling riis University of Strathclyde

Chris dickson Research Engineer Representative,

Thales

sPeCialist Courses add Value to the engd PrograMMe

Our graduates are unique individuals, whose experience

in the industrial research laboratory has been

complemented by a combination of specialist courses in

science, business and engineering.

Masters-level technical courses in Photonics are

provided by Heriot-Watt and St Andrews. These courses

account for two thirds of the taught content in the

EngD programme, and include an advanced laboratory

component, designed to expose our Research Engineers

to the wide variety of equipment and techniques needed

to prepare them for a research career in Photonics.

To succeed in an industrial environment our Research

Engineers need to gain a working knowledge of a range

of applied management and business skills. One third of

the taught programme is delivered by Edinburgh Business

School, who provide MBA courses in subjects including

project management, marketing, accountancy and

strategic planning.

Photonics is a broad subject, with a

dynamic range spanning sensors

and imaging to laser development

and manufacturing. In addition

to certain mandatory technical

and business courses we offer

Research Engineers a choice

of elective courses tailored

to the requirements of their

project.

6 7

In 2012 we reviewed our portfolio of courses, structuring them thematically to make it simpler

for Research Engineers to plan their coursework schedule:

semester 1 semester 2 summer

BusinessEconomics

Organisational Behaviour

Accountancy

Marketing

Project Management

Competitive Strategy

Negotiation

Finance

History of Financial Markets

Making Strategies Work

Mergers and Acquisitions

Strategic Planning

Strategic Risk Management

Photonics

Displays and Nonlinear Optics

Lasers

Laser Physics and Applications

Materials Growth & Fabrication

Nanophotonics

Nanoscience primer

Photonics Applications

Photonics Experimental

Laboratory

Polymers and Liquid Crystals

Semiconductors and Devices

Fibre Optic Comms

Industrial Applications of

Lasers

Modern Optics

Nanophysics

Nanolaboratory

Optical Metrology

Semiconductor Opto-electronics Devices

Ultrafast Photonics

Experimental Laboratories

Signal &

Image

Processing

Advanced Image Analysis

3D Modelling and Animation

Communications and

Networks

Computer Graphics

Data Mining and Machine

Learning

Digital Design

Digital Signal Processing

Multi Sensor Fusion and

Tracking

Real Time Imaging and Control

Software Engineering

Advanced Interaction Design

Bayesian Inference

Image Processing

Principles of Mobile

Communications

RF Mobile Communications

Systems

Virtual Environments

Engineering

Technology

Mini Project

Professional and Industrial

Studies(CB)

Specialist Engineering

Technology 1

Advanced Mechanics of

Materials 2

Engineering Manufacture

Specialist Engineering

Technology 2

The programme structure, course delivery and student

progression are monitored by a Course Committee

comprising academics from the partner universities.

The Course Committee meets biannually to review the

progress of each individual student, and provides a

cohort-level summary to the Management Committee.

researCh theMes

The enabling nature of Photonics is clearly illustrated by

the research addressed by the Centre, and our research

portfolio reflects the specialist interests of our academic

and industrial partners.

Across 55 projects, our major research themes are:

• Photonic sensors and devices

• Lasers and non-linear optics

• Nanophotonics

• Optical metrology

• Photonics materials

• Laser materials processing

• Biophotonics

Not only do these themes resonate with areas of

photonics research excellence within the consortium

universities, but they also align well to current UK research

priorities in Photonics, as articulated by the EPSRC

priority areas.

our researCh engineers and their ProJeCts

With a geographical span

extending more than 500 miles,

our Research Engineers are

distributed in 35 companies

across the UK.

Research Engineer Industrial Location

8 9

Year 1name Company Project title

David Barr UKATC

Design, development and characterisation of an affordable

Real-Time Control System (RTCS) and micro-Deformable Mirror

(µDM) for a multi-object instrument in the era of extremely large

ground-based telescopes

Tom JonesMerlin Circuit

Technologies

Laser based filling of high aspect ratio vias in printed circuit

boards

Paul Mitchell Optoscribe3D guided-wave photonics for next generation communications

networks

Howard Moshtael-

Oskui

Princess Alexandra Eye

Pavilion- NHS Lothian

and the Edinburgh

and Lothian Health

Foundation

Vision-enhancing cameras and micro-displays in visual

impairment

Iain Rodger Thales Context-driven Scene Segmentation & Optimisation

James Rowell Seebyte Video-based processing and autonomy for Underwater Robots

Adam Sroka Thales High Peak Power Solid State Laser Modelling

David Webb Nanoco TechnologiesThe investigation and development of Heavy Metal Free

Quantum Dot devices for use in the general lighting markets


John Ross Aitken MESL Millimetre Wave Filter Technologies

Ian Baker Powerlase PhotonicsStabilised high beam quality pulsed lasers with kilowatt average

power for industrial applications

Michael Crozier M-SolvDevelopment of a thin-film photovoltaic cell division and

interconnection scheme

Adam Krysinski NPLDevelopment of sensing technology for large area, high

resolution and fast surface topography measurement

Maurice Lessing NPLUltra-low-noise frequency synthesis, comparison and

dissemination using femtosecond optical frequency combs

David Myles M-Solv

Development of novel High-Density Interconnect (HDI) laser

material processing techniques for high-volume manufacturing

of printed circuit boards

Alison O’Neil

Toshiba Medical

Visualization Systems

Europe

Image analysis of noisy 3D/4D medical datasets

Agata Pawlikowska Selex ES High Resolution 3D Lidar

Savino Piccolomo Texas Instruments Integrated opto-electronic systems with quantum metrology

name Company Project title

Paul Ross

Toshiba Medical

Visualization Systems

Europe

Illustrative rendering for radiology applications

Marc Smillie Thales Passive Q-Switching of Solid State Lasers

Gary Stevens Gooch & Hosego High power fibre laser components

Mel Strachan UKATC Cost effective deformable mirror (DM) systems

Stefano Valle Gooch & HousegoInvestigations into high performance Acoustic-Optic Tuneable

Filters and their applications

Alexander WeirNHS Greater Glasgow

& ClydeAmbulatory Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound


Marcus Ardron RenishawFlexible process for the manufacture of diffractive optical

elements by laser processing

Will Cochrane UKATCMicro-Autonomous Positioning System (MAPS) and other

miniature astronomical instruments

Anthony Corcoran Optos Noval Modalities in Ultra-Wide Retinal Illumination

Oliver Daniell SeebtyeAutomatic object Recognition Algorithms for Unmanned Water

Vehicles

Christopher Dickson Thales Multi-modal sensor processing from moving platforms

John Molloy NPL Tuneable THz sources

Eoin Thomas

MurphyBAE

Wavelength Agnostic WDM Strategies for Avionic

Telecommuncations

Mathieu Rayer Taylor HobsonAdvances in Optical gauging technology for practical non

contact metrology

Joseph Thom NPL Microfabricated ion traps


Robert Campbell Cascade TechnologiesNext generation gas-sensing technology based on mid-infrared

quantum cascade lasers

Matthew Currie PowerPhotonicAdvanced Design, Fabrication and Test technologies for Laser-

Based Micro-Optics

Benjamin Fulford Rofin Sinar Picosecond solid-state lasers for industrial applications

10 11

name Company Project title

Ryan John BAEThe exploitation of fibre-optic sensor technology in aerospace

and defence

Michael Leach Roke Manor ResearchImage processing and computer vision: detection of unusual

behaviour

Marcus Perry British Energy Group plcPhotonic sensors for monitoring prestressed concrete

structures in a nuclear power plant

Writing upname Company Project title

Margaret AnyaegbuTES Electronics

Solutions

Short range wireless communication systems, to include Ultra

Wideband (UWB) and Bluetooth protocol standards, and their

Application in Wireless Personal Area Networks

James Downing ST Microelectronics Flat cameras

Daniel Drysdale MemsstarDevelopment and characterisation of vapour phase sacrificial

etching and organic deposition for MEMS fabrication

Catherine

FitzpatrickNPL Single-photon sources

Brian Flemming Selex GalileoA Systems Engineering Study of the Laser Directed Energy

Weapon Battlespace

Victor Granson Trumpt Inc Diffusion cooled multi-kW CO2 lasers

Javid Khan Holoxica Low-resolution holographic displays

Mhairi Martin BAEPhotonic Crystal Fibre for High Power Distribution on

Aerospace Platforms

Lucy Williamson-

Hodge

Rutherford Appleton

LaboratoryHigh Density DNA microarrays

James Beedell Selex Galileo Multifunction Lasers

Roger Fenske Edinburgh Instruments

Development of FLIM System, Picosecond Laser Diodes and

LEDs, Alternative Light Sources for TCSPC and Instrumentation

for Spectral Selection

Robert IbbotsonRutherford Appleton

LaboratoryDevelopment of micro-cantilever optical devices

Yves Lacrotte RenishawThe Application of LTCC and LCP technology in Microsystems

Engineering and Opto-Electronic Devices

Alan Proudfoot BAEThe application of commercial fibre-optic technology in Avionic

Systems

Veronika Tsatourian NPL Femtosecond combs for optical frequency metrology

Case Study – Mathieu Rayer

Case study information taken from EngD Poster

Case study:

Taylor Hobson is an ultra-precision technology company operating at the

highest levels of accuracy within the field of surface and form metrology.

The Research Engineer’s perspective

I am currently developing a

new inspection method for ultra

precision surface measurement.

My Engineering Doctorate gives

me the opportunity to be a part of

the full product life cycle; from the

inception to the final product with

designs directly driven by customer

needs. This challenging approach is

extremely rewarding, especially when

one sees the concrete applications

of your own research. It is here

where the EngD program provides

some key underpinning tools to both

provide understanding and practical

application and thus be a proactive

contributor into today’s photonics

industry.

Mathieu rayer,

Research Engineer,

Taylor Hobson Ltd

The Company’s perspective

The EngD program is a great

way for Taylor Hobson to see

prospective high potential

employees in action. It provides

the necessary time and access to

knowledge to address firstly those

medium to long term projects that

always seem to be on the fringes

and secondly R&D programmes

that need to satisfy today’s shorter

term requirement for a return on

investment. What is required is a

commitment to an applied research

programme coupled with talent

management for 4 years. How else

is British industry going to keep

competitive?

daniel Mansfield,

Research Manager,

Taylor Hobson Ltd

The IDC’s perspective

There’s nothing more satisfying

than seeing the results of the

work carried out by our Research

Engineers making a real difference

to the capabilities and competitive

position of our industrial partners.

Through the taught courses

provided by the Optics and

Photonics Technologies IDC – and

of course by his own hard work -

Mathieu has acquired an intimate

knowledge of Taylor Hobson’s

technology, and has made a

success of developing this to the

point where it will be brought to

market in the very near future.

Professor derryck reid,

Director,

IDC Optics and Photonics

Technologies

Mathieu RayerResearch Engineer

1312

new starts in 2012

David Barr UKATC

Design, development and characterisation of an affordable

Real-Time Control System (RTCS) and micro-Deformable Mirror

(µDM) for a multi-object instrument in the era of extremely large

ground-based telescopes

Tom JonesMerlin Circuit

Technologies

Laser based filling of high aspect ratio vias in printed circuit

boards

Paul Mitchell Optoscribe3D guided-wave photonics for next generation communications

networks

Howard Moshtael-

Oskui

Princess Alexandra Eye

Pavilion- NHS Lothian

and the Edinburgh

and Lothian Health

Foundation

Vision-enhancing cameras and micro-displays in visual

impairment

Iain Rodger Thales Context-driven Scene Segmentation & Optimisation

James Rowell Seebyte Video-based processing and autonomy for Underwater Robots

Adam Sroka Thales High Peak Power Solid State Laser Modelling

David Webb Nanoco TechnologiesThe investigation and development of Heavy Metal Free

Quantum Dot devices for use in the general lighting markets

graduations in 2012

The following Research Engineers graduated with an

Engineering Doctorate in 2012.

Dr. Gordon McKenzie Heriot-Watt June 2012

Dr. Paul Harrison Heriot-Watt June 2012

Dr. Patrick Harding Heriot-Watt June 2012

Dr. Gerald Wong Heriot-Watt June 2012

Dr. James Bain Strathclyde November 2012

Dr. Tom Legg Strathclyde November 2012

gerald wong

My thesis title was “Snapshot Hyperspectral Imaging:

Near-Infrared Image Replicating Imaging Spectrometer

and Achromatisation of Wollaston Prisms”

I’m based at Selex ES Ltd in Edinburgh after continuing

onwards in the same role on projects that are directly

related to my EngD work. Selex ES is a multinational

defence company that specialises in EO and RF systems

for military aircraft, including the Eurofighter Typhoon and

the Apache attack helicopter. I’m based in the Advanced

Projects Group that develops emerging technologies from

our academic and industrial partners, both inside the UK

and internationally as well. We collaborate closely with

our diverse partners and have the regular opportunity

to publish papers in peer-reviewed journals and present

results at international conferences. My regular duties

primarily involves “end-to-end” research from theoretical

conception to computational modelling and then

onwards to physical implementation and finally practical

experiments out in the field.

The EngD has valuably equipped me with not only the

technical expertise to make an immediate impact in my

area of specialism, but also the ability to contribute to

the commercial and managerial operation of my projects.

The MBA business courses afforded to me during my

research has allowed me to influence my role, through

an understanding of financial zero-based budgeting

(common for private-sector R&D), along with contributions

to project and risk management. Private-sector

companies desire more than just technical expertise, but

commercial acumen and an understanding of business

structures and best practice, while the public-sector is

also beginning to look to those with commercial skills in

an age of budgetary austerity. The EngD provides broad

and deep training in both areas, giving the research

engineer a great deal of flexibility and a skillset that others

may not be able to offer – with respect to purely technical

or solely commercial roles.

tom legg

My thesis title was “Development of High Power Fibre

Amplifier Components, Systems and Applications”

I’m still employed by Gooch and Housego working as a

development engineer in Torquay, Devon.

The training and opportunities provided by the IDC were

second to none. I really enjoyed the combination of

photonics courses at St Andrews University and business

courses provided by Edinburgh Business School. I also

enjoyed the opportunities to communicate with other

research engineers at the annual conference and annual

team building/development weekends which I think really

helped to bring a sense of community to the centre,

even though I was based a long way from Edinburgh and

Heriot-Watt University.

iMPaCt

Research in the Centre results in impact across the

academic and commercial sectors, whether in the form

of traditional academic dissemination, the creation of

exploitable intellectual property, or in the influence of our

research findings on industrial practice.

In 2012 the Centre generated 45 published outputs,

taking the form of a wide mixture of journal publications,

talks and poster presentations at academic conferences,

patent applications, EngD theses and media articles.

14 15

Javid Khan, a Research Engineer and CEO of Holoxica,

has received coverage of his company’s technological

developments in a number of articles. In particular, in

January 2012, Scotland on Sunday carried an article

entitled, “The 3D Force may be with Holoxica,” explaining

how Javid’s technology produces a moving 3D holographic

display where images are suspended in mid-air.

An article entitled, “Research in Defence,” published in

August 2012 the Defence Contracts Bulletin reported

how research in the Centre was driving innovation in the

defence sector through collaborations with major suppliers

such as BAE Systems.

Media CoVerage

In its April 2012 cover story, Laser Focus World carried an article entitled,

“How to begin a career in photonics,” in which Heriot-Watt’s Industrial

Doctorate Centre in Optics and Photonics Technologies was held up as

an example of a programme which was “Top-notch in Europe and Asia,”

alongside top US institutions of the Universities of Rochester and Arizona.

Research Engineer- Javid Khan (Holoxica)

Journal PuBliCations, ConFerenCe ProCeedings, ConFerenCe Presentations and Patent aPPliCations

In 2012 our Research Engineers published 7 journal publications, 8 conference proceedings, gave 22 conference

presentations and were involved in 2 patent applications. The full list of these in given is Appendix 1.

FeedBaCk FroM our industrial Partners

Statements provided in 2012 by our industrial partners, illustrate the profound and positive impact that the focused doctoral

training provided by the EPSRC Industrial Doctorate Centre in Optics and Photonics Technologies is having on UK companies.

“The Research Engineer’s work has introduced a new technology into the company. With further work it is expected this will develop into a portfolio of products which will be used to broaden the technology and market space of the company.”

“The Research Engineer’s work is of direct commercial benefit to the company. We will commercialise by building and selling machines to implement the processes developed. We can see a significant market opportunity arising from this. ”

“The Research Engineer is running various experiments that are key to the company’s technology roadmap.”

“The work on these effects has significantly enhanced the company’s capability in this area. A combination of experiment and modelling has allowed a number of recommendations to be made to enhance the performance of current production systems.

“The results of the [Research Engineer’s] work are highly relevant to the Company’s laser design and development activities.”

“The Research Engineer’s work has been pivotal in improving the efficiencies of current targeting laser development programs towards establishing two new products at SELEX that depend on the technology that he has helped introduce. His attitude and flexibility have remained key to exploiting this technology in a timely manner, and we expect at least one of these products to be in full production within the next year or so.”

®“The Research Engineer has already developed enough novel and interesting technology for the submission of a patent.”

“The research done by the Research Engineer provides the UK ATC with new novel mechanisms and products to use in our instrument designs. It will reduce the size and mass of our instruments a lot.”

16 17

an industrial PersPeCtiVe

Selex ES is a major high tech employer with

some 5000 employees in the UK and is part of

Finmeccanica, Europe’s 2nd largest defence

electronics group. We are a world-leading

provider of remote sensing technology and

have a vigorous R&D programme, which

requires a steady stream of skilled UK nationals

trained in a variety of disciplines to ensure we

remain at the forefront of technology, enabling

us to maintain our competitive position

in global markets. The IDC in Optics and

Photonics Technologies helps meet this need.

Throughout our participation in the EngD

programme, there has been a continual

stream of Research Engineers based at

Selex ES – 2 have already graduated, 2

are currently writing up their thesis, 1 is

completing his project and 1 other has

recently started. This includes 2 of our

employees who are registered for the degree

whilst in full-time employment. The 2 EngD

graduates have now been employed

as permanent staff, as well as another

EngD student whilst writing up. This is the

strongest testament to the strength of the

Centre – producing high quality post-doctoral

graduates that industry wants to employ.

The EngD programme has been of enormous

benefit to Selex ES, with some of the research

undertaken by the student Research Engineers

rapidly transitioning into products and

generating orders with anticipated values of

£100 million over the product lifetime.

A representative from Selex ES has sat on

the IDC Management Committee which

determines the strategic direction of the IDC,

for many years and will continue to be an

enthusiastic supporter of the IDC in Optics

and Photonics Technologies in the future.

Participation in the EngD programme has

resulted in both the students and also

our employees benefitting from both the

technical taught courses and the business

courses undertaken at the Edinburgh

Business School as part of the course.

This has had a very positive impact on their

performance in the factory.

The great value of the work completed by

the student Research Engineers is perhaps

best illustrated by the fact that one RE

has twice won a Gold Award in the annual

Finmeccanica Innovations Award scheme,

which is open to over 70,000 employees

worldwide. Selex ES has patented some of

the developments and published extensively.

The EngD is particularly effective because

it involves real Knowledge Exchange by

transferring people between the university

and industrial settings.

dr allan B Colquhoun MinstP

University Liaison and Emerging

Technologies Manager

Dr. Allan Colquhoun,

University Liaison

Manager and Emerging

Technologies Manager

at SELEX ES, offers

his perspective on

the EPSRC Industrial

Doctorate Centre in

Optics and Photonics

Technologies.

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

60%

40%

20%

0%ExcEllEnt nEutral poor

Is the EngD good value for money?

ExcEllEnt nEutral poor

Developing technical, business and personal leadership skills


Having access top a broad range of Photonics expertise within the IDC

“The results of the Research Engineer’s research [have been] introduced as standard production processes.”

“The Research Engineer’s work (both results and his presentations) has sparked interest internally in the commercialisation of the reduced track length imager concept. Commercial realisation of this project is now being investigated by a wider audience within the company. Our recent employment offer to [him] indicates how well his talents have been recognised and received.”

“The Research Engineer’s work is an important part of the development of new technologies for the maintenance and support of the platforms produced by BAE Systems.”

“The long term impact and benefit of the work to the company is expected to be transformational.”

“The Research Engineer has become a part of the backbone Engineering for Gooch and Housego (Torquay) with influence into other parts of the business, partners and customers. He offers that rare blend of theoretical and practical skill with a willingness and ability to be a team player. G&H has offered him a full time permanent job and he has accepted. An excellent outcome from an excellent individual.”

“The Research Engineer is a key contributor to the progress of our 2um component development. He brings academic rigour, enthusiasm and initiative to the challenging project activities. He shows maturity when dealing with the diverse partners (academic and industrial) within the collaboration. He has enhanced the company’s capability to undertake complex and risky development projects that will provide us with a technological advantage over our competitors.”

“The Research Engineer is developing a new measurement capability for the company, [which] will open further markets for the company.”

In February 2013 we asked

our Industrial Sponsors to

complete a satisfaction survey.

The responses are shown

below and indicate a high level

of satisfaction amongst our

Industrial Sponsors.

industrial sPonsors satisFaCtion surVey

60%

40%

20%

0%ExcEllEnt nEutral poor

Recruiting and retaining talented people

Stimulating innovation through collaborative research


80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

18 19

our industrial Partners

The EPSRC Industrial Doctorate Centre in Optics and Photonics Technologies gratefully acknowledges the support of the

following companies in the delivery of the EngD programme.

®

20 21

eVents

Research Engineers’ Weekend

In March 2012 the Centre held its annual weekend for

Research Engineers, combining personal / professional-

development sessions with social activities.

Alumna Dr. Tiina Delmonte (Doosan Babcock), who

was a Research Engineer at Heriot-Watt from 2003–8,

delivered a presentation on how the EngD programme

had influenced her career development, and introduced

the cohort to some practical methods for maximising their

benefit from the programme.

Dr. Claire Bedrock (Senior Publisher, IOP Publishing)

presented a talk entitled, “How to get published,” which

explained what referees and journals are looking for when

they review a manuscript submitted for publication.

A personal development session based around the

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment

introduced Research Engineers to the idea of

psychometric testing, used widely by employers and also

providing an indication of individuals’ different perceptions

and aptitudes.

Social events included a mountain biking expedition

to Glentress, and go-carting at Xtreme Carting. The

weekend concluded with a dinner at Norton House Hotel.

Annual Conference

The annual conference in July 2012 attracted 90

registrations from Research Engineers, industrial and

academic supervisors, company representatives and

other interested academics.

The poster session contained presentations by 17

first-year Research Engineers, whose posters were

assessed by the academic and industrial supervisors

attending the conference. The prize for the best poster

was awarded to Mickey Crozier, for his poster, “A novel

series interconnect for thin film photovoltaics.”

The oral presentations comprising the core of the

conference were given by 14 second-year Research

Engineers, and covered topics from micro-optics,

quantum control, laser machining, optical sensing and

metrology, and terahertz generation. Michael Leach

received the prize for the best oral presentation for

his talk entitled, “Context aware anomaly detection in

surveillance.”

The keynote speaker for the conference was Dr Tim

Goldsack (AWE), who presented an overview of the

laser and engineering challenges being addressed in

the development of the new Orion laser facility at AWE

Aldermaston.

regional grouPs

Meetings of the new Regional Groups have started to

be held in some regions. The West of Scotland Regional

Group attended the IET/BCS Turing Lecture followed by

a meal. Chris Dickson (RE-Thales) the Group convenor

provided the following report.

This is an annual event and this year the speaker, Suranga

Chandratillake, a successful “technical entrepreneur”

gave a talk entitled “What they didn’t teach me: building

a technology company and taking it to market” where he

discussed the parallels between his technical Computer

Science know-how, his “new idea” and the entrepreneur’s

business mindset. The talk highlighted how a number of

essential business concepts are related to many elements

of the syllabus of a computer science degree; for example

complex systems modelling and understanding markets;

but that the connection is never really made in the

educational pathway of a technical student.

The talk as a whole was very relevant to the EngD ethos

of integrating technical projects with a strong business

mindset, and pointed out how many common stumbling

blocks when starting a new company are actually just

perceived and in reality many engineers are more than

capable of overcoming them.

Chris Dickson

Comments from other attendees:

Considering I’m very interested in starting my own

technology focused business in the future, the

talk was beneficial from the insights it provided.

The parallels between business and science are far more

prevalent than I had thought, I hope to make use of this

realisation as I progress through the EngD.

Iain Rodger

...the lecture was highly relevant to the EngD programme

which aims to produce the ‘research managers of the

future’ and provide a bridge between academic rigour and

commercial awareness. The lecture was particularly relevant

to my own first hand observations of a smallish company

making the transition from a product / process orientation

to a much more customer orientated focus - as its

products and markets became more certain. The lecture

also provided a useful validation of the EngD programme’s

business experience and MBA content (particularly

Marketing) by observing that I was already familiar with a lot

of the ideas that the speaker had learnt through experience.

Rob Campbell

I think the talk helped in getting me thinking more about

where the qualification could take me, it has certainly

helped in encouraging me to think about other routes

through my career. It also gave me some ideas about

presentation style as I think the quality of the talk and

slides themselves were excellent and refreshing from

the usual. The meal was a great opportunity to discuss

not only the lecture but the course in general with some

students that have a little more experience of what it is

like as well as a good chance to socialise and develop

contacts throughout the centre.

Adam SrokaIDC-OPT Conference

22 23

a new look online

The new IDC website was launched in September 2012, and now includes the facility for Research Engineers to add files,

pictures, publications and other information to their personal profile page.

The site can be found at: www.idcphotonics.hw.ac.uk

aluMni

The following have graduated with Engineering Doctorates from the Industrial Doctorate Centre and it’s predecessor the

EngD Centre.

Dr. James Bain University of Strathclyde, 2012 Research Associate at University of Strathclyde

Dr. Thomas Legg University of Strathclyde, 2012 Research Engineer at Gooch and Housego

Dr. Paul Harrison Heriot-Watt University, 2012 Principal Engineer, Product Applications, SPI Lasers

Dr. Gerald Wong Heriot-Watt University, 2012 Selex ES

Dr. Gordon McKenzie Heriot-Watt University, 2012 Research Associate, Heriot-Watt

Dr. Patrick Harding Heriot-Watt University, 2012 Luxembourg Research

Dr. Suzanne Costello

(nee Millar)Heriot-Watt University, 2011 Development Scientist at MCS

Dr. Michael Poulter University of Strathclyde, 2011 Principal Engineer at SPI Lasers

Dr. Charles Ward Heriot-Watt University, 2011

Dr. Richard Dunn Heriot-Watt University, 2010 Senior Development Scientist at Microvisk Ltd

Dr. Paul Black University of Strathclyde , 2010 Development Manager at Cascade Technologies

Dr. Daniel Esser Heriot-Watt University, 2010 Senior Laser Scientist at CSIR

Dr. Yvonne Huddart Heriot-Watt University, 2010 Design and development engineer, Renishaw

Dr. Peter Thomas St Andrews University, 2010

Dr. David Mitchell Heriot-Watt University, 2010 Field Integration Engineer at Coherent

Dr. Clare Dillon Heriot-Watt University, 2009 Systems Engineer at Selex ES

Dr. Tiina Delmonte Heriot-Watt University, 2008 Strategy and Planning, R&D, Doosan Babcock

Dr. Trefor Sloanes St Andrews University, 2008 Scientist – DSTL Sensors and Countermeasures Dept

Dr. David Faichnie Heriot-Watt University, 2007 Senior Research Engineer at FMC Technologies

Dr. John Wooller Heriot-Watt University, 2007 Applications Engineer, Fibercore Limited

Dr. Daniel Purchase Heriot-Watt University, 2006 Project/Process Engineer at Rayner Intraocular Lenses

Dr. Ian Armstrong St Andrews University, 2005 Research Fellow, Strathclyde University

24 25

our researCh-ProJeCt suPerVisors

We are indebted to the many academic and industrial project supervisors who are fundamental to the success and

direction of the research undertaken in the Centre.

Academic supervisors

Prof. Derryck Reid1

Prof. Andy Harvey3

Prof. Brian Gerardot1

Dr. Robert Thomson1

Dr. Jenny Roe1

Dr. Gordon Flockhart2

Prof. John Marsh3

Prof. Walter Johnstone2

Dr. Nigel Langford2

Dr. Bill MacPherson1

Dr. Changhai Wang1

Prof. Andrew Wallace1

Prof. Charlie Ironside3

Prof. Erling Riis2

Prof. Marc Desmulliez1

Dr. Neil Robertson1

Prof. Jason Hong1

Dr. Alex Belyaev1

Dr. Nigel Johnson3

Prof. Duncan Hand1

Prof. Howard Baker1

Dr. Pawel Niewczas2

Prof. Alan Greenaway1

Dr. Craig Mitchie2

Dr. Tom Brown4

Prof. Ajoy Kar1

Dr. Alan Kemp2

Prof. Yvan Pettilot1

Dr. Jon Shephard1

Prof. Gerald Buller1

Prof. Cheng-Xiang Wang1

Dr. Theo Lim1

Prof. Denis Hall1

Prof. Gavin Gibson1

Prof. Robert Hadfield3

Prof. Malcolm Dunn4

1 Heriot-Watt University 2 University of Strathclyde 3 University of Glasgow 4 University of St Andrews

Industrial supervisors

Prof. Robert Lamb (Selex ES) Dr. John Ward (Gooch and Housego)

Dr. Helen Margolis (NPL) Prof. Nick Weston (Renishaw)

Dr. James Harris (Nanoco Technologies) Dr. Nick Psailia (Optoscribe)

Dr. Dennis Price (Merlin Circuit Technologies) Dr. Mark Silver (Thales)

Dr. Noah Schwartz (UKATC) Dr. Barry Connor (Thales)

Dr. Jonathan Evans (SeeByte) Prof. Bal Dhillon (NHS Lothian)

Dr. Sandy Duncan (MESL) Dr. Nick Hay (PowerLase Photonics)

Dr. Adam Brunton (M-Solv) Dr. David Milne (M-Solv)

Dr. Ian Poole (TMVSE) Dr Roger Pilkington (Selex ES)

Dr. Phil Hiskett (Selex ES) Dr Bobby Davey (TMVSE)

Dr. Hermine Schnetler (UKATC) Dr. Stuart Parks (NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde)

Dr. Mira Naftaly (NPL) Dr. Jano van Hemert (Optos)

Mr. Daniel Mansfield (Taylor Hobson) Dr. Scott Reed (SeeByte)

Dr. Henry White (BAE) Dr. Alastair Sinclair (NPL)

Dr. Matthew Kitchin (Thales) Prof. Des Smith (Edinburgh Instruments)

Dr. Paul Miller (Cascade) Dr. Jozef Wendland (Powerphotonics)

Dr. Ken Lipton (Rofin-Sinar) Dr. Jason Lee (Rofin-Sinar)

Dr. Ed Sparks (Roke Manor) Dr. Michael Johnston (British Energy)

Dr. Francisco Villareall (Trumpf) Dr. Stephen Harding (Selex ES)

Dr. Andrew Murray (ST Microlectronics) Dr. William Berrie (TES)

Dr. Tony O’Hara (Memsstar) Dr. Gavin Hall (Selex ES)

Dr. Henry White (BAE) Dr. Richard Dunn (Microvisk)

Dr. Ejaz Huq (RAL) Dr. Nigel Aldridge (BAE)

Dr. Steven Lee (Thales) Dr. Richard Leach (NPL)

Dr. Terry Dyer (Texas Instruments) Dr. Andrew Robinson (Gooch & Housego)

Dr. Ian Elder (Selex ES) Dr. Ian Read (BAE)

26 27

list oF PuBliCations, ProCeedings, Presentations and Patents

In 2012 our Research Engineers published 7 journal publications, 8 conference proceedings, gave 22 conference

presentations and were involved in 2 patent applications.

Journal PublicationsNames of Research Engineers are underlined.

J.F. Molloy, M. Naftaly, and R.A. Dudley,

“Characterisation of Terahertz Beam Profile and

Propagation,” IEEE J Sel Top Quant Electron 10.1109/

JSTQE.2012.2205668

Jim Piper, Yoshihiro Ikeda, Yasuko Fujiawa, Yoshiharu

Ohno, Takeshi Yoshikawa, Alison O’Neil and Ian Poole,

“Objective evaluation of the correction by non-rigid

registration of abdominal organ motion in low-dose

4D dynamic contrast-enhanced CT,” Phys. Med. Biol.

57 1701 (2012)

M. Perry, P. Niewczas and M. Johnston, “Effects of

neutron-gamma radiation on fiber bragg grating

sensors: a review”, IEEE Sensors Journal, vol 12, no 11,

pp 3248-3257, 2012. DOI: 10.1109/JSEN.2012.2214030

M. Perry, P. Orr, P. Niewczas and M. Johnston,

“Nanoscale resolution interrogation scheme for

simultaneous static and dynamic fiber bragg grating

strain sensing”, Journal of Lightwave Technology,

vol 30, no 20, pp 3252-3258, 2012. DOI: 10.1109/

JLT.2012.2213891

M. Perry, P. Niewczas, M. Johnston, K. Cook and J.

Canning, “Induction Brazing of Type-I FBGs into

Kovar Ferrules Exploiting Curie Transition”, IEEE

Sensors Journal, vol PP (pre-publishing), 2012. DOI:

10.1109/JSEN.2012.2227705

Downing, J., Findlay, E., Mayo, G. and Harvey, A.R.,

“Multichannel finite conjugate imaging”, JOSA A,

Optical Society of America, 29, 921-927, 2012

McKenzie, G., Record, P., “Non-Contact

Measurement of DC Voltages using Nonlinear

Elements”, Measurement Science and Technology 23(4)

p045001, IOP, Feb. 2012

Conference Proceedings

James Beedell, Ian Elder, David Legge & Duncan Hand,

“Intracavity, common resonator, Nd:YAG pumped

KTP OPO” 2012, SPIE p. 854125. (2012)

C. Dickson, A. Wallace, M. Kitchin, and B. Connor,

“Vehicle detection using multimodal imaging

sensors from a moving platform”, Proc. SPIE 8541,

Electro-Optical and Infrared Systems: Technology and

Applications IX, 854112 (2012)

W. Cochrane, X. Luo, T. Lim, et al, “Recent testing of

a micro autonomous positioning system for multi-

object instrumentation,” Proc. SPIE 8450, 845019-

845019-14 (2012)

W. D. Taylor, H. Schnitzler, and W. A. Cochrane et al

“MAPS: where have the robots got to?” Proc. SPIE

8450, 845057 (2012)

M. Perry, P. Niewczas, M. Johnston, K. Cook and

J. Canning, “Mechanical strength of silica fibber

splices after exposure to extreme temperatures”,

22nd International Conference on Optical Fibber Sensors,

Proc. SPIE, and 2012.DOI: 10.1117/12.965872

V. Granson, F. Villarreal, J. Deile, J. F. Mandarin, and S. Sum

rain, “Comprehensive Analysis of Thermal Lansing

Effects on the Coaxial Resonator of a High Power RF-

Excited COR2R Laser” in SPIE, vol. 8236, 2012

Downing, J., Murray, A.A., and Harvey, A.R., “Low-cost

multi-spectral imaging camera array,” in Computational

Optical Sensing and Imaging, OSA Technical Digest (online)

(Optical Society of America, 2012), paper JW1A.6

G Wong, C McMaster, R Struthers, A Gorman, P Sinclair,

R Lamb, A R Harvey, “A Novel Snapshot Polarimetric

Imager”, Proc. SPIE 8541, Electro-Optical and Infrared

Systems: Technology and Applications IX, 85410G

(October 24, 2012)

AppEndix 1

28 29

Conference Presentations


“Vehicle Detection from Multimodal Imagery”,

ICVSS 2012

M Crozier, “A novel series interconnect for thin-

film PV” poster at the James Watt Institute Innovative

Manufacturing Research Conference June 2012

B. Maniacal, P. Kaminski, G. Claudio, J.M. Walls, Y. Yu,

D. Mansfield, M. Crozier, A. Brunton ‘Characterisation

of Laser Scribes in Thin Film Photovoltaic’s by

Coherence Correlation Interferometer’, paper

presented to 27th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy

Conference and Exhibition, Session 3DV.3.35, September

2012, pp. 2808-2811.

W. Cochrane, H. Schnitzler W. Taylor, et al, Presented

MAPS at the Big Bang Fair in Birmingham. (2012)

W. Cochrane, H. Schnitzler W. Taylor, et al, Presented

MAPS at the Robots Live Show in the National Museum

of Flight in Edinburgh (2012)

J. Khan, ‘Fixed Frame 3D Holographic Displays’,

presented at SPIE Photonics West Conference, San

Francisco, Holography Group Meeting Jan 2012

J. Khan, K. Nguyen, I. Underwood, “New Applications

of Holographic Projection in 3D Image Capture and

Display”, presented at 4th Workshop on Liquid Crystals

for Photonics 2012, 9-11 December, 2012, Hong Kong

J. Thom, G.Wilpers, E.Riis, P Gill, A.G Sinclair, “A stable

diode laser for quantum-coherent control and

entanglement of 88Sr+ Ions in a 3D microfabricated

ion trap”, Photon 12, Durham, Sep 2012

J.Thom, G.Wilpers, E.Riis, P Gill, A.G Sinclair, “A stable

diode laser for quantum-coherent control and

entanglement of 88Sr+ Ions in a 3D microfabricated

ion trap”, Quantum Technologies: Taking Concepts

through to Implementations, London, Dec 2012

Yves Lacrotte, John P. Carr, Robert W. Kay and

Marc P.Y. Desmulliez, LTCC Package Manufacturing

Using Powder Blasting Technology, DTIP 2012

Cannes, p. 186.

M.Anyaegbu, C. X. Wang, and W. Berrie, “A Sample-

Mode Packet Delay Variation Filter for IEEE 1588

Synchronization” in Proceedings of the 12th International

Conference on ITS Telecommunications (ITST, 2012).

Maurice Lessing and Giuseppe Marra: “Develop novel

techniques for accurate time transfer over fibre”,

Workshop on Optical Networks for Accurate Time and

Frequency Transfer,20-21 November 2012, Hoofddorp,

The Netherlands.

E. Murphy, C. Michie, H. White and W. Johnstone.

“Phase Change Materials for Passive Cooling of

Active Optical Components” Avionic and Fibre Optic

Technology Conference, Cocoa Beach FL, Sept 2012

R. John, I. Read, and W. N. MacPherson, IOP Instrument

Science and Technology Group, Half-day meeting on

Structural Health Monitoring, 10th May 2012, Institute of

Physics, London

Downing, J., Murray, A.A., and Harvey, A.R., “Low-

cost multi-spectral imaging camera array,” in

Computational Optical sensing and Imaging, Optical

Society of America, 2012

Production of optical quality features with sub-micron

tolerance using nanosecond laser pulses in the absence

of ablation

Marcus Ardron, Stephanie Giet, Duncan Hand, Nick

Weston

Sfs2012 – EUSPEN. NPL Teddington UK Dec 2012

Laser precision surface sculpting of 2D diffractive

optical elements (DOEs) on stainless steel

S. Giet, M. Ardron, A. Waddie, M.D. Kidd, R.R.J. Maier,

N. J. Weston, D.P. Hand, ICALEO. Anaheim CA Sept 2012

J.R.P. Bain, J.D. Black, W. Johnstone, “Development

of Tunable Diode Laser Spectroscopy Sensor

Systems for Line-of-sight Measurement of Water

Vapour in Aero Engine Exhaust Plumes,” Photon 12,

Durham, UK, 3-6 September 2012

M. Lengden, I. Armstrong, J.R.P. Bain, and W.

Johnstone “Measurement of Key Species in Gas

Turbine Engine Exhaust Plumes” Institute of Physics

Combustion Group: High Impact Industrial-Academic

Partnerships: Delivering Future Combustion Technologies,

University of Lincoln, 23 October 2012

I. Armstrong, J.R.P. Bain, M. Lengden and W. Johnstone,

“Key Species Measurement in GasTurbine Engine

Exhaust Plumes”, Chemical Species Tomography

Workshop, University of Manchester, 5-8 November 2012


“Vehicle detection using multimodal imaging

sensors from a moving platform”, Computing Ph.D.

Day, Thales Research & Technology, Paliseau, France

O. Daniell, Y Petillot, S Reed “Unsupervised sea-floor

classification for automatic target recognition”

ICoURS’12

Patent Applications

Patent Application: R.M.McBride, M.O.Currie,

J.J.Wendland, “Fast-Axis Collimator Array”,

PowerPhotonic Ltd., US Publication: US

2012/0140334 A1, UK Publication: GB2485464 A,

EU Publication: EP2450737 A2, (2012)

Findlay, E., Downing, J., Murray, A., Grant, L. and

Caley, A. “Multi-channel image sensors”. U.S.

Patent Application. US2012/0206620

30 31

www.idcphotonics.hw.ac.ukProf Derryck ReidDirector, IDC in Optics and Photonics TechnologiesHeriot-Watt UniversityEdinburgh EH14 4ASTel: +44(0)131 451 3652Email: [email protected]

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Industrial Doctorate Centre in Optics and Photonics … Industrial Perspective ... have the opportunity to suggest a different pairing if they prefer. We continue to promote a programme