We wish to recruit motivated students to join our group from April 2025. Applicants should have, or expect to obtain a 1st Class Honours degree in a relevant numerate discipline, for example Physics, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, or Materials Science.
These PhD projects (mostly experimental) offer a rare opportunity to gain a wide spectrum of experience with semiconductor device design, nano-fabrication, nano-optics, laser spectroscopy, cryogenics, electron spin resonance, machine learning and sophisticated electronics. The research is multi-disciplinary, involving condensed-matter physics, quantum optics, materials science, and quantum information processing. We offer a world-class laboratory and a strong network of international collaborators. Please send inquiry emails to Prof. Brian Gerardot, Prof Cristian Bonato, Prof Margherita Mazzera, Dr Mauro Brotons-Gisbert, Dr Christiaan Bekker or Dr Samer Kurdi.
Click on the projects to see additional information.
Remarkable breakthroughs have been achieved in just a few short years in the growing field of moiré materials. However, an urgent obstacle impeding progress is a lack of sample homogeneity and reproducibility. Sizable twist-angle inhomogeneity is present in all state-of-the-art devices to date, and a small fluctuation in twist-angle can result in significant inhomogeneity in physical properties. With more perfect twist-angle control, the better the periodicity of the moiré pattern, and the richer the electronic phase diagrams. With better twist-angle control and homogeneity, the influence of other control parameters on physical properties can be pursued in a more reliable way. Thus, discovering ways to minimize twist-angle (and heterostrain) disorder is crucial to understanding the properties of twisted multilayers formed from graphene, 2D semiconductors, semimetals, or magnetic layers as well as developing next generation technologies.
This project aims to implement machine vision and in-situ optical metrology tools to identify pick-and-place assembly parameters which minimize twist-angle disorder and maximize homogeneity during the heterostructure fabrication. The optical characterization tools and results will be directly confirmed by direct measurements of the structural properties of the moiré lattice. Finally, we aim to understand both the qualitative and quantitative impacts of twist-angle disorder on the ‘quantum’ properties of the emergent states (e.g. the phase diagram including fractional filling dependence and crystal melting temperatures, the strength of the magnetic interactions, etc.). This can be achieved by spatially correlating moiré structural properties with the optically measured strongly correlated phenomena in TMD-based moiré devices.
Contact: Brian Gerardot (b.d.gerardot’at’hw.ac.uk)
This project sits at the forefront of quantum communication, as we explore how to store and retrieve quantum states of light with high fidelity and over large bandwidths — a key capability for future quantum networks.
What we offer:
✨ The chance to work at the interface of quantum optics, materials science, and quantum information
✨ Access to state‑of‑the‑art experimental facilities
✨ A supportive, collaborative environment within a vibrant quantum research community
✨ Opportunities to engage with national and international partners in quantum technologies
We are looking for a motivated candidate with a background in physics, photonics, or a related discipline — and a genuine excitement for pushing the boundaries of quantum science.
Contact: Margherita Mazzera (m.mazzera’at’hw.ac.uk, +44 (0)131 451 8220)
Two-dimensional semiconductors offer unprecedented opportunities to engineer and tune the interactions between particles at the quantum level to give rise to emergent phases and states of matter. This project aims to design, fabricate, and characterize (via quantum transport and quantum optics) highly tunable moiré heterostructures which act as a quantum simulator of the Hubbard model.
Contact: Mauro Brotons-Gisbert (m.brotons_i_gisbert’at’hw.ac.uk); Brian Gerardot (b.d.gerardot’at’hw.ac.uk)
Recent breakthroughs have demonstrating the capability of quantum sensors for measuring magnetic fields, temperature and electric field at the nanoscale. The deployment of these techniques are, however, limited by long signal acquisition times. In this project, we will use real-time adaptation of experimental parameters and machine learning to optimise quantum measurements to the ultimate limits. Our long-term goal is to develop AI-powered algorithms to design optimal adaptive control sequences and system identification tools (for example to detect single nuclear spins in nanoscale magnetic resonance). This work will be carried out in collaboration with the quantum theory group of Dr Erik Gauger and the signal processing group of Dr Yoann Altmann. We can accommodate projects with different levels of mixing between theory/numerical and experiments – however, proficiency in coding is a prerequisite in all cases.
Contact: Cristian Bonato (c.bonato’at’hw.ac.uk)
In collaboration with the new Q-BIOMED quantum hub, we are developing applications of quantum sensing to biochemistry and healthcare, with the goal to improve the detection of small quantities of molecules. We can offer different projects, from the optimisation of quantum sensing sequences for the detection of single molecules, to the integration of quantum sensors into microfluidic devices.
Contact: Cristian Bonato (c.bonato’at’hw.ac.uk)
We invite applications for a fully funded PhD position in the Quantum Bio Imaging Group at Heriot Watt University.
We are looking for a motivated candidate with a background in physics, photonics, materials science, quantum engineering, or a related discipline. Experience or strong interest in quantum optics, nanomaterials, biophysics, or cellular imaging is highly desirable.
The successful candidate will work on developing nanodiamond based quantum sensing protocols for studying cellular metabolism, with a focus on advancing nanodiamond surface functionalization, targeted delivery in living cells, and understanding how surface chemistry influences fluorescence and spin properties of NV defects in nanodiamonds.
This PhD project is part of a new £2M UKRI project led by Dr Aldona Mzyk, aimed at building next generation quantum enabled biomedical imaging technologies. The successful applicant will collaborate with academic and industrial partners and will have opportunities to visit partner laboratories across the UK and internationally. Heriot Watt University is a member of the UK Q BIOMED Hub, offering further connections across the UK quantum biomedical sensing community.
We particularly welcome applications from women and other groups underrepresented in physics and engineering.
Interested candidates should send a detailed CV, a motivation letter and details of two referees to Dr Aldona Mzyk (A.Mzyk@hw.ac.uk).
Quantum Photonics Laboratory @ Heriot-Watt University