Available PhD Projects in CMMP

Supervisor: David Bowler (david.bowler@ucl.ac.uk)
Second supervisor: Roger Johnson (roger.johnson@ucl.ac.uk)

Funded by: EPSRC DTP
Application deadline: January 4th 2024

This four year PhD project, which is available through the EPSRC DTP at UCL, involves application of large-scale DFT calculations through the CONQUEST code to the quadruple perovskite BiMn7O12 in which spin order, orbital order and Jahn-Teller distortions all compete, producing novel dipole textures alongside polarisation and anti-ferromagnetic order.

Full project description (click to expand)

Ordering of magnetic dipoles in materials gives rise to many kinds of magnetic structures, from simple ferromagnetism to complex helices, that have found important applications with profound impacts in society. Electrical dipoles in dielectrics are normally associated with only simple alignment, but recent experiments at UCL have found helical order in the quadruple perovskite BiCuxMn7-xO12. This discovery has opened a completely new area for research and potential applications such as chiral optical devices that control the light-matter interaction in solid-state quantum information processing. You will use state-of-the-art density functional theory (DFT) codes, performing simulations to explore and understand the mechanisms behind helical order, working closely with experiments at ISIS and Diamond to suggest routes to control and develop new materials and orderings. You will work with David Bowler (LCN), who leads the development of the large scale DFT code CONQUEST, and with Roger Johnson (CMMP), who leads the experimental work on BiCuxMn7-xO12. CONQUEST is a world-leading code, and has been applied to simulations with over 1,000,000 atoms (standard calculations address a few hundred atoms): it is uniquely capable of calculating complex orders. You will work to understand the phase diagram of BiCuxMn7-xO12, both pure and as it is doped with Cu. You will explore the different local dipole arrangements in the material, and use the modern theory of polarisation. These calculations will be at the very edge of what is possible with DFT, and will drive forward both large-scale DFT and our understanding of polarisation and dipole textures in dielectrics.

Full details can be found here:

https://ucl-epsrc-dtp.github.io/2024-25-project-catalogue/projects/2228c...

Supervisor: Marzena Szymanska (m.szymanska@ucl.ac.uk)

Funded by: UCL-RES, UCL-ROS, EPSRC DTP (open competition)
Application deadline: 8 Jan 2024 (DTP deadline) 12 Jan 2024 (RES and ROS deadline)

The aim of the project is to explore the recently emerged solid-state platforms, that of polariton lattices and superconducting qubits, and to optimise them for the holy grails of quantum simulations: correlated regime and topological protection. 

We will explore the non-equilibrium phase transitions, orders, critical properties, topological defects, non-trivial topological states in driven-dissipative but strongly interacting polariton (bosonic) and circuit QED (spin-boson) lattices. They will study the formation and the propagation of entanglement, examine its robustness to dissipation, and design settings to optimise the quantum correlations and entanglement in open systems using chains of polariton micro-pillars and/or of superconducting qubits. 

Full project description (click to expand)

The aim of the project, in collaboration with leading experimental groups in UK, USA, Australia and EU is to explore the recently emerged solid-state platforms, that of polariton lattices and superconducting qubits, and to optimise them for the holy grails of quantum simulations: correlated regime and topological protection. Ever since the original proposal for the idea of quantum simulations, the search for suitable physical platforms and their improvement has been one of the most active and successful fields of research. Superconducting qubits, circuit and cavity QED architectures, with their scalability to arrays and lattices, versatility (e.g. engineering different Hamiltonians) and high level of control, are an ideal platform to explore the physics of driven-dissipative but correlated systems, and their potential for quantum technologies.
Part of the project will consist of developing techniques to study correlated and topological effects in conditions of drive, dissipation and non-equilibrium in collaboration with experimental groups following one or more of the below:

• Extension of stochastic phase space methods developed for driven-dissipative bosonic systems to spin systems and to account for strong correlations and entanglement;
• Analytical methods: e.g. Keldysh Field theory, Renormalisation Group;
• Development of tensor network methods for driven-dissipative systems.

The student will explore the non-equilibrium phase transitions, orders, critical properties, topological defects, non-trivial topological states in driven-dissipative but strongly interacting polariton (bosonic) and circuit QED (spin-boson) lattices. They will study the formation and the propagation of entanglement, examine its robustness to dissipation, and design settings to optimise the quantum correlations and entanglement in open systems using chains of polariton micro-pillars and/or of superconducting qubits. The student will obtain training in modern techniques for non-equilibrium systems, in analytical as well as computational methods, and in conducting research in collaboration with experimental groups.

Supervisor: Venkat Kapil (vk380@cam.ac.uk)

Funded by: One departmental studentship (fully funded position) available for UK or settled-status applicants; Second position available via UCL-RES, UCL-ROS, CSC scholarships. 
Application deadline: All applications received by 8 Jan (deadline for UCL-RES, UCL-ROS, CSC) will receive equal consideration, but the studentship will remain open until filled

This PhD project aims to develop simulations based on quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and machine learning to explore the anomalous properties of materials in nanoscale cavities. Our focus will be on studying the phase behaviors of water in realistic nanoconfined cavities made of layered two-dimensional materials. This model system is relevant for various applications, such as energy storage, catalysis, and water treatment. We will collaborate with theoreticians and experimentalists from Cambridge, Paris, and Mainz, applying simulations to guide the discovery of new phase behaviors in experiments. If you are interested in quantum and statistical mechanics and have enthusiasm for computational methods, we invite you to join us.

Full project description (click to expand)

Background: The properties of matter deviate dramatically from their “bulk limit” close to interfaces and when confined in cavities of nanoscale dimensions. These anomalies have widespread implications spanning everyday biological phenomena in our bodies to diverse technologically relevant processes to electronic devices, batteries, and water treatment. While the laws of quantum mechanics (QM) are sufficient to describe these anomalies, the algorithms to solve the QM equations display daunting complexity.

In the era of machine learning: Conventional so-called “first principles” simulations – that aim to treat the quantum mechanics of all electrons and nuclei – display accurate-cost limitations. Simply put, accurate simulations are too computationally expensive, while inexpensive simulations offer inadequate accuracy. However, recent developments in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) bypass the complexities of QM, thereby offering an unprecedented solution to simulate complex materials at the desired quantum mechanical accuracy.

Our recent breakthrough: Our recent study exploiting ML-enabled first-principles simulations has clarified the behaviour of water molecules within nanoconfined spaces, revealing characteristics vastly distinct from bulk states. These findings include new phases like a hexatic phase, an intermediate between a solid and a liquid, and a superionic phase with a greater ionic conductivity than currently used battery materials.

Your PhD goals: Your PhD will revolve around developing methodologies at the intersection of quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and ML/AI and their application to model the phase behaviours of water in experimentally accessible nanoconfined cavities of reasonable complexity. This methodology development will be in collaboration with quantum chemistry and ML experts at the University of Cambridge. Furthermore, to ensure our predictions are experimentally accessible, we will team up with leading fabrication and spectroscopy experts at École Normale Supérieure, Paris, and Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz.

If you are interested in the fundamentals of quantum and statistical mechanics, have an enthusiasm for computational methods, and the above description speaks to you, please drop me a line at vk380@cam.ac.uk with the subject “Inquiry for PhD project”.

Supervisor: Jochen Blumberger (j.blumberger@ucl.ac.uk)
Second supervisor: Edina Rosta (e.rosta@ucl.ac.uk)

Funded by: UCL-RES, UCL-ROS, EPSRC-DTP, CSC-UCL
Application deadline: 8th Jan 2024 (EPSRC-DTP), 12th Jan 2024 (UCL-RES, UCL-ROS, CSC-UCL)

Applications are invited for a 4-year PhD studentship under the supervision of Prof Jochen Blumberger at the Condensed Matter and Materials Physics Lab, UCL. Thermoelectric materials convert a temperature gradient in a voltage and are thus of interest for renewable energy generation in the age of net zero. Organic semiconductors (OS) have emerged as a promising alternative to inorganics, however the phenomenon of thermoelectric transport in this class of materials is much less explored. As such, there is a need for a detailed fundamental understanding of thermoelectric transport in OS. In the project you will extend a novel quantum dynamical simulation approach developed in our group that will reveal in atomistic detail how the charge carrier wavefunction moves along a temperature gradientin organic molecular crystals. The project will be carried out in collaboration with world-leading experimentalists at Cambridge University.

Full project description (click to expand)

Thermoelectric materials convert a temperature gradient in a voltage and are thus of interest for renewable energy generation in the age of net zero. Organic semiconductors (OS) have emerged as a promising alternative to inorganics as thermoelectrics. For example, high figures-of-merit have been measured in the doped conducting polymer PEDOT:PSS. The combination of good thermoelectric properties with intrinsic mechanical flexibility opens up a range of new possibilities, for example in wearable devices, a rapidly growing industry where the need for batteries or external charging could be eliminated. As such, there is a need for a detailed fundamental understanding of thermoelectric transport in OS that can aid the interpretation of experiments and inform the design of improved thermoelectric devices.

The phenomenon of thermoelectricty is relatively well understood for inorganic materials, but much less so for OS. These materials present a challenge because the strong electron-phonon coupling results in partially delocalized charge carriers that cannot be treated with traditional theories for thermoelectricity. In this project we will extend a novel quantum dynamical simulation approach developed in our group[1-3] that will reveal in atomistic detail how the charge carrier wavefunction moves along a temperature gradient in organic molecular crystals. The simulations will be validated by comparing computed with experimental Seebeck coefficients, the transport coefficient quantifying thermoelectricity. We have already established a collaboration with a world-leading experimental group in this area at the Cambridge Cavendish Laboratory (Prof H Sirringhaus FRS) who will be able to measure Seebeck coefficient for a range of OS materials that we will investigate by simulation.

I anticipate that the mechanistic knowledge gained will result in design rules amenable to screening studies and development of new thermoelectric OS for use in wearable and low-power electronics.

Interested applicants may want to have a look at recent relevant publications:

Nat. Commun., vol. 10, p. 3843, 2019
RSC Book "Multiscale-Dynamics-Simulations:Nano-and-Nano-bio-Systems-in-Complex-Environments" Chapter 6 https://books.rsc.org/books/edited-volume/915/chapter-abstract/713410/Fr... scale-Charge?redirectedFrom=PDF

Highly motivated students from Physics, Chemistry or Materials Science Departments are strongly encouraged to apply for this post. Good knowledge in quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics and interest in writing computer code is expected. Some experience with molecular simulation and scripting languages (e.g., Python) is a plus.

Informal enquiries regarding the vacancy can be made to Jochen Blumberger, j.blumberger@ucl.ac.uk.

Supervisor: Steven Schofield (s.schofield@ucl.ac.uk)
Second supervisor: Mark Buitelaar (m.buitelaar@ucl.ac.uk)

Funded by: UCL-RES, UCL-ROS, CSC-UCL, IOP Bell Burnell
Application deadline: 8 January 2024

Applications are invited for a PhD studentship in atomic-scale semiconductor science for quantum computing. This project focuses on the atomically precise positioning of dopant atoms in germanium. The goal is to explore fundamental advances in condensed matter physics and potential applications in quantum technology and quantum computing. Utilizing scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), you will fabricate atomic-scale arsenic donor devices in germanium and measure these electronically using millikelvin dc and radio-frequency reflectometry methods. Your work will play a pivotal role in translating theoretical concepts into practical quantum computing solutions.

Full project description (click to expand)

It is now possible to position dopant atoms in semiconductor hosts with atomic precision (i.e., 1 nanometre or better). This technology promises not only a revolution in semiconductor fabrication for quantum technology but also offers a gateway to uncharted territories and new fundamental discoveries in condensed matter physics. The driving motivation and ultimate goal for this research is the development of a dopant-based quantum computer where the quantum bits (qubits) are individual dopant atoms in a semiconductor host, as theoretically proposed by Kane [1].
 
The fabrication of atomic-scale dopant devices is achieved by the precise positioning of individual dopant atoms within semiconductors such as silicon and germanium using a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM). Until recently, this approach was limited to the positioning of phosphorus atoms in a silicon host. Despite numerous exciting successes, including the demonstration of a two-qubit gate, 3 x 3 few-dopant arrays for exploring Fermi-Hubbard physics, and a linear dimer chain exhibiting conductance attributed to topological Su–Schrieffer–Heeger states, it has emerged that fundamental limitations restrict the fabrication of phosphorus in silicon devices to small numbers of dopant atoms (qubits).
 
Recently, we have demonstrated arsenic is a strong contender as an alternative to phosphorus for atomic-scale donor devices. We have shown the ability to incorporate arsenic in both silicon [2] and germanium [3] in a way that is compatible with the STM-based positioning method used for phosphorus. Of particular importance is that arsenic does not suffer from the inherent difficulties of phosphorus in relation to its potential to be scaled up to large numbers of qubits.
 
In this project, the student will use STM to fabricate quantum electronic devices of arsenic donors in a germanium host. This will involve the development of a robust system for performing hydrogen lithography on the germanium (001) surface and the incorporation of arsenic atoms via exposure to the precursor compound, arsine. This will be combined with traditional cleanroom-based fabrication methods and germanium epitaxial growth to produce atomic-scale electronic devices. Devices will include two-dimensional doping planes (delta-layers), one-dimensional Hall bar devices, and single-electron and single-atom transistor geometries leading to the development of more intricate devices and demonstrations for the scaling up to large numbers of deterministically positioning dopants.

Fabricated devices will be measured at mK temperatures in the Buitelaar laboratory at UCL. This will include dc characterisation as well as radio-frequency reflectometry and microwave control techniques to coherently control and readout the dopants.

Please email s.schofield@ucl.ac.uk to enquire about this project.

[1] Kane, Nature, 393, 6681 (1998)
[2] Stock, et al., ACS Nano, 14, 3316 (2020)
[3] Hofmann et al., Angewandte Chemie, 62, e202213982

Supervisor: Alexander Shluger (a.shluger@ucl.ac.uk)

Funded by: DPT
Application deadline: 8 January, 2024

This fully-funded 4-year PhD studentship will use computational modelling to predict new metal/semiconductor/insulator heterostructures and their deposition techniques required to create electronic devices with reduced power consumption and new functionalities. This will include using the existing and developing novel methods for modelling the structure and properties of such heterostructures using atomistic modelling, Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Machine Learning. The project will use large-scale DFT and classical simulations to explore the role of intrinsic defects and impurities in performance of Si-based and 2D-materials based electronic devices for neuromorphic computation.

Full project description (click to expand)

The power consumption and reliability of novel electronic devices strongly depend on properties of defects in constituent materials and at interfaces. Defects are also considered as prospective candidates for quantum computation and are responsible for new modes of device operation, such as neuromorphic systems which use defect processes in materials to develop fundamentally new brain inspired approaches to computing.

This fully-funded 4-year PhD studentship will use computational modelling to predict new metal/semiconductor/insulator heterostructures and their deposition techniques required to create electronic devices with reduced power consumption and new functionalities. This will include using the existing and developing novel methods for modelling the structure and properties of such heterostructures using atomistic modelling, Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Machine Learning. The project will use large-scale DFT and classical simulations to explore the role of intrinsic defects and impurities in performance of Si-based and 2D-materials based electronic devices, such as transistors, memristors and neuromorphic memory cells to develop new modes of their operation, such as neuromorphic computation. You will learn how to use computer modelling to solve fundamental problems of real impact for design and technology of electronic devices in collaboration with experimental colleagues. 

The PhD training and research will be carried out in the group of Prof. Alexander Shluger https://www.ucl.ac.uk/condensed-matter-material-physics/alex-shluger-group in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and within the vibrant environment of the London Thomas Young Centre. The group is one of the world leaders in computational modelling of defects in insulators and heterostructures underpinning the performance and reliability of electronic devices.

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a top-level MSci degree or equivalent in Chemistry, Physics, or Materials. Undergraduate knowledge of Quantum Physics and Solid State Physics is essential. You should enjoy coding and be keen to push the boundaries of machine learning and artificial intelligence in materials applications.

Supervisor: Carla Perez Martinez (carla.perezmartinez@ucl.ac.uk)
Second supervisor: Neal Skipper (n.skipper@ucl.ac.uk)

Funded by: EPSRC-DTP
Application deadline: 8th Jan 2024

This is a computational and experimental project, in which the student will develop new technologies used in electronics manufacturing. The project involves using COMSOL Multiphysics for designing arrays of ion sources. The student will then build these devices, and test them in our bespoke vacuum chamber facilities in the LCN, by firing the arrays towards test materials such as silicon.

Full project description (click to expand)

The demand for electronics is unprecedented, with processors needed for consumer devices and cloud computing. Manufacturing electronics requires technologies for the removal, or etching, of materials. For example, a mobile phone accelerometer consists of silicon shaped into micrometre-sized silicon beams and springs. To carve such features at this scale, machines known as etchers create and direct a plasma towards a target covered with a patterned mask. The plasma removes material in the uncovered areas, leaving behind the desired structure. In this project at the research group of Dr Perez-Martinez in the London Centre for Nanotechnology (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/london-nano/fabrication-ionic-liquid-ion-sources), the student will optimise a novel safer etching method, based on a technology known as the Ionic Liquid Ion Source (ILIS).

ILIS are needle devices that produce a spray of ions from ionic liquids, a type of liquid composed solely of positive and negatively charged ions. The resulting beam can be used to treat materials. A single ILIS has already been used to etch silicon with competitive etching yields. Ionic liquids are non-volatile and thus an ILIS-based etcher would not require many of the safety fixtures required to handle the toxic gases used by conventional etchers. The student will design, implement and test an ILIS needle array and attached optics for use in industry-scale electronics fabrication. The student will be trained in charged particle physics and in COMSOL Multiphysics for simulation of the devices, and they will gain experimental skills by testing the devices in our vacuum chamber facilities. The student will irradiate silicon targets and use atomic force microscopy and other techniques to determine the uniformity of etching from the array.

Suitable candidates will have a minimum of an upper second-class UK Master’s degree in physics, electrical or electronic engineering, materials science, or a related discipline, or an equivalent overseas qualification.

Supervisor: Roger Johnson (roger.johnson@ucl.ac.uk)
Second supervisor: Alessandro Bombardi (alessandro.bombardi@diamond.ac.uk)

Funded by: UCL / Diamond Light Source Doctoral Studentship Programme
Application deadline: 15 January 2024

Applications are invited for a fully-funded 3.5 year PhD studentship supervised by Dr Roger Johnson (UCL) and Dr Alessandro Bombardi (Diamond Light Source). The student will be initially based at Diamond Light Source, the UK’s synchrotron facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Oxfordshire), and will later move to UCL. They will be immersed in a world-leading scientific community, with access to facilities at UCL and Diamond. The student will explore the effects of symmetry breaking in stressed quantum materials that host frustrated magnetism including quantum spin liquids, to establish fundamental physical principles that may inform the development of future technologies.

Full project description (click to expand)

To quote researchers at IBM’s Almaden lab in the Silicon Valley; “if a particular phenomenon is strange enough, surely there’s a way we can put it to good use”. Arguably one of the strangest states of matter currently under intense scrutiny from the condensed matter and materials physics community is the quantum spin liquid (QSL). In this exceptional state the dipole moments of magnetic atoms do not order, as in a ferromagnet, nor do they freeze at the lowest reachable temperatures. Instead, a magnetic state of fluid motion persists. More precisely, magnetic frustration imposed by symmetry is paired with quantum fluctuations, giving rise to a disordered magnetic ground state that supports exotic quasi-particle excitations with topological, long-range quantum entanglement. In theory, these quasi-particles may be utilised as qubits, quantum-bits of information, in solid-state quantum computers. QSLs may also support spin currents in the absence of charge currents, and hence underpin so-called spintronic devices widely proposed for a low energy future beyond the current CMOS paradigm. Candidate QSL materials have been identified and extensively studied. While the QSL phase is rarely found, the experimental characterisation of novel phases in the proximity of a QSL, some of which are remarkably complex, has led to the development of theories of the QSL state and informed materials discovery pathways.

The overarching aim of this studentship is to demonstrate that QSL candidate materials can be tuned in and out of the QSL state by controlling crystal symmetry through uniaxial stress. Hence, we will establish a systematic approach to explore theoretical phase diagrams beyond the limitations of isolated discoveries made in specific material systems. Compared to the application of, for example, magnetic fields or hydrostatic pressure, the direct manipulation of crystal symmetry by applied stress is a relatively unexplored yet highly promising approach towards the control of electronic and magnetic ground states of bulk single crystals. Furthermore, this approach has a natural extension towards thin film devices, in which anisotropic strains can be introduced through epitaxial lattice mismatch. 

The student will study new families of quantum spin liquid candidate materials reported to host a gapless spin liquid state on a high symmetry lattice in the absence of structural disorder. The student will also investigate strain-tuning of long-range order in well-established Kitaev QSL candidates, which have been theoretically predicted to show acute sensitivity of their competing magnetic interactions to crystal symmetry and strain. During the project we will be responsive to the discovery of new quantum spin liquid candidate materials, and we will maintain a view to apply the techniques developed throughout the studentship to other areas of quantum materials research.

Full project description (click to expand)

The sustainable production of net-zero fuels is one of the most pressing issues of our generation. Artificial photosynthesis, the reduction of CO2 to fuel molecules using the energy of the sun and synthetic catalysts remains a formidable challenge due to sluggish oxidation kinetics and mismatch of time scales between the lifetime of photo-excited states and the chemical reactions. In this project, we explore a novel route to address these challenges, semiartificial photosynthesis. The aim of this PhD project is to develop and apply molecular modelling approaches that guide the design of functional interfaces between redox proteins and dye-sensitised inorganic semiconductor (SC) nanoparticles, Protein-Dye|SC. This involves the development of machine learning/neural network potentials for molecular dynamics simulation of the dye molecule chemisorbed on the SC, computation of the rates for electron tunnelling across the Protein-Dye|SC interface and computer-guided engineering of Protein-Dye|SC assemblies with increased lifetime of the fuel-forming charge-separated state well beyond the millisecond time scale. The project is embedded in a multidisciplinary collaboration with experimental teams at University of East Anglia (bioengineering, pump-probe spectroscopy) and the University of Cambridge (SC and catalyst synthesis) who will assemble the computationally designed interfaces to semiartificial photosynthesis modules.   

The candidate 
The applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper second-class integrated masters degree (MSci, MChem, etc.) or 2:1 minimum BSc plus stand-alone Masters degree with at least a Merit in Physics, Materials Science, Chemistry or related disciplines. The successful applicant will demonstrate good knowledge in quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics, interest in writing computer code (e.g. python or fortran) and the ability to think analytically and creatively. Some experience with molecular simulation and/or density functional theory calculations is a plus but not required. Previous research experience in contributing to a collaborative interdisciplinary research environment is highly desirable but not necessary as training will be provided.

Interested candidates should initially contact the UCL-based supervisor Prof. Jochen Blumberger by sending an email to j.blumberger@ucl.ac.uk, with a CV, degree transcript and a motivation letter expressing interest in the project attached to the email. Informal inquiries are encouraged. It is essential that suitable candidates complete an electronic application form at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/research-degrees/phy... (select at the bottom of the page under ``Year of entry: 2024/25” ``Research Degree: Physics and Astronomy: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Full-time”) prior to the application deadline and advise your referees to submit their references as soon as they possibly can. All shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview no more than 4 weeks after the application deadline. Any admissions queries should be directed to Dr Zhimei Du via z.du@ucl.ac.uk

Applications are welcome from UK nationals, EU nationals with settled/pre-settled status and those with indefinite leave to remain or enter. Please note that the studentship only covers fees at home rate. The updated rules for eligibility for home fees for next year are available at View Website.

Supervisor: Academic or Industry 

Funded by: To be announced 
Application deadline: Sunday 4 February 2024 at 23:59 UTC

From 2024, UCL will train emerging research leaders in the fields of quantum computing and quantum communications. This new doctorial training programme will equip them with the necessary expertise and practical knowledge to fulfil the potential of this ground-breaking field. Students will undergo a comprehensive and rigorous cross-disciplinary training programme, collaboratively designed by a diverse team of UCL academics and our extensive network of partners. 

Full project description (click to expand)

Who is involved?
The programme has been co-developed through a partnership between UCL and a network of UK and international partners. This network encompasses major global technology giants such as IBM, Amazon Web Services and Toshiba, as well as leading suppliers of quantum engineering systems like Keysight, Bluefors, Oxford Instruments and Zurich Instruments. We also have end-users of quantum technologies, including BT, Thales, NPL, and NQCC, in addition to a diverse group of UK and international SMEs operating in both quantum hardware (IQM, NuQuantum, Quantum Motion, SeeQC, Pasqal, Oxford Ionics, Universal Quantum, Oxford Quantum Circuits and Quandela) and quantum software (Quantinuum, Phase Craft and River Lane).

Our partners will deliver key components of the training programme. Notably, BT will deliver training in quantum comms theory and experiments, IBM will teach quantum programming, and Quantum Motion will lead a training experiment on semiconductor qubits. Furthermore, 17 of our partners will co-sponsor and co-supervise PhD projects in collaboration with UCL academics.

What is the structure of the programme?
The four-year course consists of a 6-month cohort-based intensive training programme (ITP) followed by a 42-month research project phase (RPP) leading to the PhD degree.
The ITP gives a broad overview of all the sub-topics within quantum computation and quantum communications, while the RPP allows specialisation and in-depth focus on a specific experimental or theoretical topic. There is however no hard boundary between the phases - there is research activity within the ITP, and cohort-based technical and transferable skills training in the RPP.
Find out more about the structure of the programme.

General Track or Industrial Track?
At the application stage (i.e. in the spring prior to enrolment) students will have the opportunity to apply for industrially co-sponsored and co-supervised projects and/or the General Track. In the industrially co-supervised track we will advertise specific industrially co-sponsored PhD projects and will recruit students to work on each specific project. In the general track students will apply to join the programme without a specific PhD project in mind. Once the students are enrolled, both tracks come together and work as a single unified cohort on common training activities.
To select a track, you will need to complete a supplementary information form. More information can be found on the how to apply page. 

Who should I contact if I have a question?
If you have a general question about quantum doctoral training, please contact Ms Lopa Murgai (lopa.murgai@ucl.ac.uk) in the first instance. If your question is regarding quantum doctoral training admissions, please contact Admissions Tutor Dr Alfonso Ruocco (quantum-cdt-admissions@ucl.ac.uk).

For more information and application please click here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/quantum/study-here/quantum-doctoral-programmes