Our second cohort of 16 students joined us in September 2020
Alex Baddeley
Hey, I’m Alex, I’m from Hereford, a small city in the West Midlands.
Before coming to university, I worked at an aerospace company, where I was part of the Antenna/RF design departments for 5 years.
After leaving industry, I’ve gone on to study a BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Cardiff University, focusing on the RF and communications side.
In my third year project, I worked on developing upon measurement software designed to apply Digital Pre-distortion to RF Power Amplifiers in order to demonstrate a designed Power Amplifier is linearisable.
For my PhD Project, I will be supervised by Dr Roberto Quaglia of Cardiff University with support from Quorvo. My preliminary project title is: Boosting Efficiency in Mm-Wave III-V Power Amplifiers.
My interests include hanging out with friends, going to the gym, travelling and exploring new places.
Richard Brown
Hi, my name is Richard and I’m originally from Southampton. I came to Cardiff three years ago to do a Bachelor’s Degree in physics, not really knowing what a compound semiconductor was but thinking it sounded really cool with important real world impact.
In the third year I was able to complete a project based around compound semiconductors in which I simulated a Gallium Arsenide based device with the aim to detect skin cancers using a technique found in retina imaging known as optical coherence tomography.
For my PhD Project, I will be supervised by Dr Qiang Li of Cardiff University with support from IQE. My preliminary project title is: MOVPE growth of Sb-containing alloys for strategic short-wave and mid-wave infrared applications.
Outside of University I spend most of my time playing guitar in various bands which has given me the opportunity to perform all across the UK, record two original EPs and be featured on national TV and radio.
Arthur Collier
My name is Arthur and I’m from a small village in the South of England. Growing up, I had an unusually keen interest in Mathematics, Physics and Technology. I decided that a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering would neatly tie together my interests. With nothing around but fields and cows, I ventured to the University of Manchester, where I discovered that buildings regularly exceed two-storeys.
For my third year individual project, I researched triboelectric nanogenerators, which have potential applications powering remote electronics and harnessing tidal energy. Manufacturing required a variety of silicon nanostructure fabrication processes, including UV lithography and plasma etching. During my MEng project, I teamed up with three other students for a feasibility study investigating the potential application of Quantum Well Hall Effect sensors for Pulsed Eddy Current Testing. We designed a handheld scanner to image corrosion on pipes without the removal of cladding, laying the foundations for future QWHE-PECT systems.
For my PhD Project, I will be supervised by Professor Khaled Elgaid of Cardiff University with support from CSA Catapult. My preliminary project title is: Advancement of back-side processes for mm-wave integrated circuits.
Calum Dear
My name is Calum, I grew up in Bristol then moved to Cardiff for 5 years where I completed my undergraduate in physics and masters in compound semiconductor physics. I now live in London, currently in my second year of Ph.D. study at UCL.
I am part of the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) group, supervised by Prof. Huiyun Liu at UCL’s electronic and electrical engineering department. My project at macro scale is the development of conventional-band (C-band) quantum dot (QD) materials by MBE.
In my first year of study, my group and I calibrated and optimised growth of InAs/InAlGaAs/InP(001) QD materials in the C-band with promising photoluminescence characteristics at room temperature. In my second year, I aim to use these materials to develop electrically-pumped broad-area and ridge waveguide lasers by conventional fabrication methods at the London Centre for Nanotechnology. The ultimate objective of this project is to demonstrate such devices monolithically integrated on Si(001) by MBE.
Abi Enderson
Hi, my name’s Abi. I grew up in Devon where I completed A levels in maths, physics and chemistry, and went on to study my BSc in Physics with Astronomy at Cardiff University. Towards the end of my degree, I specialised in condensed matter physics and specifically semiconductors and their applications.
For my final year project, I created a simulation to model the properties of compound semiconductor waveguides based off their dimensions and refractive indices.
For my PhD Project, I will be supervised by Dr Samuel Shutts of Cardiff University with support from CSA Catapult. My preliminary project title is: High-performance optical sources for photonic integrated platforms.
Outside of my studies I enjoy running, hiking and practising yoga.
Daniel Johnson
Hi I’m Dan, originally from Essex. I completed a BSc in Physics at Hertfordshire and an MSc in Advanced Materials Science at UCL (Following time as a science teacher and a PGCE at Oxford) . My MSc project was the characterisation of a novel single crystal transparent conducting oxide candidate using PXRD, XPS, and transport measurements.
I really enjoy getting hands on and spending time in the lab and I am excited to develop my skills further in the CDT program.
For my PhD Project, I will be supervised by Dr Jessica Boland of University of Manchester. My preliminary project title is: Exploring the nanoscale optoelectronic properties of low-dimensional materials via terahertz spectroscopy and near-field terahertz microscopy.
Outside of my research and studies, I enjoy playing snooker, working on my own electronic projects, and anything outdoors with friends
James Meiklejohn
Hi, my name is James, and I’m originally from Edinburgh.
For my undergraduate degree I studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge, specialising in Astrophysics during my final year. After graduating, I moved to London to work as a software engineer at a startup designing wireless sensors.
For my PhD Project, I will be supervised by Dr Samuel Shutts of Cardiff University with support from National Physical Laboratory. My preliminary project title is: Compound Semiconductor Optical Sources for Atomic Sensors.
I enjoy building things, running and cycling, and anything to do with bagpipes.
Khaya Mtunzi
Hi, my name is Khaya and I’m originally from Surrey. I completed my undergraduate degree in Physics at Swansea University and an MSc in Data-Intensive Astrophysics at Cardiff University the following year. I have been fortunate enough to gain a wealth of experience in astronomy and computer programming from both.
My MSc project involved investigating the hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure of a gallium nitride thin film using the Fast Fourier Transform and correlating its surface morphology to its crystal structure. I hope to further enhance my understanding of semiconductor materials for space applications.
For my PhD Project, I will be supervised by Professor Huiyun Liu of UCL. My preliminary project title is: III-V quantum dot lasers grown on patterned silicon and SOI substrates by MBE.
Outside of studying I enjoy playing the piano and guitar and trying to learn new languages.
Diyar Othman
Hello, my name is Diyar and I am originally from Cyprus. I graduated from University of Manchester in 2020 with a BSc in Physics.
Before my third year started, I did a summer internship at the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, where I had a mainly public facing role. My third year project was on the future of energy, where I focused on the possibility of the world going 100% renewable by 2050. I did a case study in North Cyprus and focused mainly on solar and wind energy.
For my PhD Project, I will be supervised by Dr Bo Hou of Cardiff University with support from Huawei Cambridge. My preliminary project title is: Integrated Colloidal Quantum Dot (QD) smart optoelectronic devices for the Internet of Things (IoT).
Outside of physics, I enjoy doing any kinds of sports, listening to and playing music and reading.
Iwan Pullen
Hi I’m Iwan, I’m from North Wales and I graduated from Cardiff University with a BSc in physics with astronomy. Although I selected the astronomy route for my undergraduate degree, I also had the opportunity to study condensed matter physics. It was through this I developed my interest in semiconductors and their applications.
My final year project involved the writing of a program in Python to fit spectral energy density curves to a supernova at different points across a 2 year observing period. Treating the supernova as an emitting blackbody, I was able to determine the temperature and radius evolutions and make estimates of the total energy released in the explosion.
For my PhD Project, I will be supervised by Professor Sir Michael Pepper of UCL. My preliminary project title is: Quantum Integrated Circuits and Electrons Spins in Semiconductor Nanostructures.
Outside of physics, I am a member of Cardiff University Triathlon Club and can usually be found in a swimming pool, on my bike or composing, playing or listening to music.
Ben Salmond
Hi, my name is Ben and I’m from Carnoustie in Scotland. Recently, I have studied at the University of Glasgow for an MSc in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Prior to this I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Strathclyde in Physics.
My masters project focussed on developing an equivalent circuit model for field effect transistors using the emerging semiconductor material gallium oxide. In my undergraduate degree, my final year project investigated the colour stability of light-emitting diodes. This work investigated both the effect of temperature change in the devices as well as the effect of the internal electric field in gallium nitride-based LEDs.
For my PhD Project, I will be supervised by Dr Samuel Shutts of Cardiff University with support from Compound Semiconductor Centre. My preliminary project title is: Novel architecture and fabrication processes for single epitaxial growth distributed-feedback lasers for sensing and communication.
Outside of academia, I enjoy playing golf, road cycling and cooking.
Wesley Sampson
Hi, my name is Wesley. I am originally from Ringwood, just outside Bournemouth and I graduated with a BEng from Cardiff University in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and I am just about to complete an MSc at Cardiff University in Compound Semiconductor Electronics.
My undergraduate project was on utilising digitally programable components to develop tuneable filters. In my Masters my project involved developing diode detectors utilising GaN on Silicon diodes that had been fabricated in house and producing simulation models that represent these diodes over a large frequency range and different Bias points.
For my PhD Project, I will be supervised by Professor Khaled Elgaid of Cardiff University with support from Nexperia. My preliminary project title is: Short-gate GaN HEMTs for mm-wave integrated circuits.
Chris Walsh
Hi I’m Chris, I studied MEng Electronic Engineering at the University of Manchester.
For my third-year individual project I investigated solution based processes to manufacture thin film transistors. This involved manufacturing the transistors in a clean room, testing the devices and then analysing the data to determine their characteristics using labview and matlab.
My MEng team project aimed to develop a Industry 4.0 solution for the university’s mechanical workshop. This involved the development of both embedded software and cloud computing to extract and manipulate machinery data to analyse trends over time.
For my PhD Project, I will be supervised by Professor Mohamed Missous of University of Manchester with support from Linwave. My preliminary project title is: Asymmetrical Spacer Layer Tunnel Diode (ASPAT) for zero power, microwave millimetre wave band detection applications.
Join us!
The Centre for Doctoral Training is currently funded for five intakes, from 2019-2023. If you would like to join us, visit our how to apply page and get in touch if you have any questions.