PhD in Dynamic Metasurfaces for Spacetime-Engineered Light

About this position

Are you fascinated by the idea of steering light through time as well as space? Develop metasurfaces for synthetic crystal rotation and nonreciprocal light-matter interactions, with secondments at UPNA, Spain and UltraFast Innovations GmbH, Germany.

Information

We are looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate with a background in photonics, optics, or applied physics to contribute to SPARK Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral network. The candidate will develop metasurfaces supporting synthetic crystal rotation through ultrafast spatiotemporal modulation. The project involves theoretical modelling and simulation of anisotropic metasurfaces with epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) like behaviour, realization of dynamically modulated metasurface structures, and experimental evaluation of their ultrafast optical response, with the aim of demonstrating synthetic spacetime rotation, generating spatiotemporal light fields, and uncovering nonreciprocal light–matter interactions.

The PhD candidate will work within the Photonic Integration group at the Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, co-supervised by Prof. I. Liberal at the University of Navarra (UPNA), Spain, The candidate will be part of a multidisciplinary, international team within the SPARK MSCA Doctoral network, working alongside PhD students and researchers on related nonreciprocal and spatiotemporal photonics technologies, with close collaboration across theory, fabrication, and experimental characterization.

The research and secondment activities will be supported by a 6-month stay at the University of Navarra (UPNA), Spain, focused on theoretical modelling, and a 3-month stay at UFI for ultrafast optical characterization, giving the candidate direct access to complementary expertise and facilities across the consortium.