Dr Eric Sillekens awarded Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship

The Royal Academy of Engineering has announced the latest recipients of its Research Fellowships which includes Dr Eric Sillekens from EEE’s Optical Networks Group.

The Royal Academy of Engineering’s Research Fellowships programme is designed to support exceptional early-career researchers, helping them to develop into future leaders in the field of engineering. These prestigious fellowships provide up to £625,000 over five years, offering recipients the freedom to focus on pioneering research in any area of engineering, advancing excellence and innovation in the discipline.

Dr Sillekens’s project is entitled: ‘Enabling Power Efficient Optical Communication through Novel Digital Signal Processing (EPIC DSP).’ Beyond financial support, the Research Fellowships programme offers awardees the chance to build a strong research track record, enhancing their ability to secure further funding and expand their teams.

On being awarded this prestigious opportunity, Dr Sillekens said:

I am honoured to have been awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship. This opportunity will enable me to make significant strides in research advancing the energy efficiency of optical transmission systems. Over the next five years, I will focus on developing innovative digital signal processing techniques, enabling new architectures such as combining semiconductor optical amplifiers with hollow-core fibre. I am immensely grateful to the RAEng for supporting this critical research, which I believe will have a profound impact on the future of energy-efficient communications technologies.