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SEPnet Summer

Placement Opportunities

2012

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Dear SEPnet Student, I am delighted to be able to present the opportunities available for SEPnet funded work placements in 2012. Please read through these projects carefully – they are an opportunity for you to gain valuable work experience this summer. I hope that you have attended one of the introduction sessions held at your University. If not, you may have a few questions about the scheme. Please see below some FAQs... and please contact your Careers Service and ask them to check your CV. Please make a note of the deadlines for application, in particular the application deadline of FRIDAY 30th MARCH. If you have any further questions then you can always contact me (details below) I wish you all the best in your applications Kind regards, Claire Potter Keep up to date with SEPnet Director of Employer Liaison www.facebook.com/SEPnet South-East Physics Network Twitter @SEPhysics c.potter@sussex.ac.uk www.sepnet.ac.uk How much will I get paid? Successful candidates will receive a bursary of £1360 which is for eight weeks work in the Summer holidays. How does the scheme work? You need to register your details before you start applying. You need to do this at http://www.surveymonkey.net/sepnetsummer2012 You will not be able to take up a placement if you have not registered here first. Please carefully read the project descriptions in this booklet. You may, if you wish, apply to all of them! However it is better to target your applications to the projects that really interest you. You must then contact the supervisor(s) of the projects that interest you with a covering email and your CV. The covering email should explain why you have chosen that placement, and why you are suitable for the job. You should do this by Friday 30th March. Each company then goes through its own recruitment process. Some may invite you to interview, some may ask you to a telephone interview, some may select on the basis of CV alone. Your supervisor should contact you by Friday 27th April to let you know if you have been successful. If you have been successful then your bursary will be paid during the second week of your placement. Who is eligible? You are eligible for the scheme if you are a Physics student in Y2 of a three-year course or Y2/Y3 of a four-year course. I am an international student – am I able to take part? Yes! Certain companies can only offer places to British Nationals as they are involved with defence and security. However the majority of placements are open to all. The project descriptions clearly state the cases where there are specific requirements.

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What financial help is available? SEPnet pays you a bursary of £1360 for eight weeks work. This is intended to cover all your expenses over that time. Regrettably we cannot offer reimbursement for the following:

1. Travel to interview. However it‟s worth asking your host company because some companies may pay interview expenses. Don‟t be disappointed if they don‟t, though.

2. Accommodation expenses. Your bursary should cover accommodation costs. What are the deadlines? You need to complete all of your applications by the 30th March. You may then be called to interview or have a telephone interview. If you have been successful in securing a placement, you will find out by 27th April. How do I find out further information? If you have any enquiries in the mean time you can email Claire Potter, Director of Employer Liaison on summerplacements@sepnet.ac.uk. We also have a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/SEPnet) and Twitter feed (@SEPhysics) which we keep regularly updated with news.

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Placements in Industry

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Company Aquatec Group Ltd Placement title Evaluation and Enhancement of Fluorescent Optical Sensor range Your contact Andy Smerdon Tel: 01252 843072 E-mail: asmerdon@aquatecgroup.com Address of placement Aquatec Group Ltd, High Street, Hartley Wintney, Hampshire RG27 8NY Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) Negotiable Company profile Designers and manufacturers of underwater instrumentation for oceanographic and offshore energy sectors. Placement description Analysis of performance of a number of fluorescent optical sensors developed in-house for the detection of underwater leaks of dyes and hydrocarbons, and assessment of various improvements. The ideal candidate... ... will have a good understanding of optics, and will ideally be competent in PIC microprocessor programming so that firmware improvements can also be implemented and evaluated.

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Company Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club Placement title Recruitment analysis intern Your contact Chris Baker Tel: 01273 668589 E-mail: chris.baker@bhafc.co.uk Address of placement Falmer, near Brighton, East Sussex – either Amex Stadium or Sussex Innovation Centre (venue to be confirmed) Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) Negotiable, either a continuous Summer project or a running one day per week placement. Company profile A professional football club playing in the English Championship. Placement description To undertake data analysis to support decision-making for player recruitment. This could either take the form of a one-off project (eg, where do Championship clubs buy their players from)? and/or ongoing tasks (eg, initial research into a player recommended to the club). The ideal candidate... ... will have the following skills: Data collation, analysis and presentation (using Excel) Using the Internet to gather information Some knowledge of football (or a willingness to learn) - You do not need to be a coach or have any previous experience working in football!

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Company Culham Centre for Fusion Energy Placement title Development of Analysis Tools Handbook Your contact Richard Layne Tel: 01235 465021 E-mail: Richard.layne@ccfe.ac.uk Address of placement Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon OX14 3DB Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) June – August (negotiable) Company profile Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) is the home of two world class tokamak fusion Experiments. JET, the Joint European Torus is the world‟s largest „conventional‟ tokamak and MAST (the Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak) is a novel experiment designed to explore ways in which the fusion performance of the tokamak can be improved. Placement description Data analysis following plasma experiments forms a key part of the research conducted at CCFE. Many tools have been developed to analyse data, model future results and visualise data. As a pan-European research laboratory the result is a multitude of tools that often do similar things. Looking after systems that may only be used for a short while but generate important data is a real challenge. The aim of this placement is to produce an „Analysis Tools Handbook‟. You will obtain information about the software used across scientific analysis at CCFE. The results will be stored in a web-enabled database allowing users to find available resources before developing their own software. Depending on your experience, you would either develop this system yourself or work with a framework provided by us. The project will involve interaction with physicists to discuss their systems. This will give you an insight into the role of physicists within a large research organisation. You could also investigate some of the theory behind fusion - allowing you to better understand the role the tools you uncover perform. You would also develop useful skills: both technical and professional skills involved in interacting with a wide range of users. The ideal candidate... ...has a basic understanding of plasma physics in order to appreciate the concepts being investigated. The work will involve liaison with a wide range of international users so good interpersonal skills will be required. Some experience of software development would be an advantage.

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Company Ceres Power Ltd Placement title Undergraduate Intern Your contact Steve Richards Tel: 01403 273463 E-mail: steve.richards@cerespower.com Address of placement Ceres Power Ltd, Foundry Lane, Horsham RH13 5PX Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) Negotiable, to suit student Company profile Ceres Power is a high-tech company developing and commercialising fuel cell technology. Placement description The details of the position will depend on the particular needs at the time. The ideal candidate... ...could be you. We have a range of students each year and a range of projects to work on. SEPnet note: Physicists are crucial to the development of alternative energy sources (See http://www.iop.org/careers/directions/renewable/page_39299.html This placement could be an excellent way to use your physics skills as entry to this field, which is likely to become more important on the global stage as fossil fuel supplies dwindle.

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Company Diabetes-cutmyrisks.co.uk Ltd (Social enterprise) Placement title Website development and marketing Your contact Nigel Crawford Tel: 020 87809651 E-mail: nigel@urban-development.com Address of placement Crosshaven House, Coppice Drive, London SW15 5BW Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) July – August (negotiable) Company profile We are a partnership of three SMEs engaged in the development of eHealth and mHealth tools for personal health planning for those with Long Term Conditions, initially some cancers (http://www.mihealth.info/) and diabetes (http://www.diabetes-cutmyrisks.co.uk/). Further details about our vision, objectives and member companies are contained in our online proposal to the UK Government Cabinet Office: https://www.innovationlaunchpad.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/Page/ViewIdea?ideaid=618 Placement description A version of our demonstration website is already available, and contains the full logic and facilities for personal health planning for those with diabetes or who are at high risk of getting this condition. This website now needs further development to streamline its design, make it fully interactive and user-friendly. It needs to be adapted to become suitable for use via smart mobiles and to link with relevant social networks. Several test trials with small groups of 5 typical users will be necessary. Our good website design 'recipe' is available for detailed guidance. We can offer the selected student flexibility – part-time working is acceptable, subject to an agreed commitment. After a short induction you can work in your current location with reviews in London. You will gain experience in developing a small social enterprise and motivating health websites, participate in workshops with a range of specialists. The ideal candidate... ...has created successful interactive websites. You are health literate and would like to be involved in improving health nationally and internationally You know about entrepreneurship, are interested in becoming an entrepreneur and in participating in the development of a small company. You are a good communicator and a regular user of social networking sites and smartphones.

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Company EnSilica Placement title SHA-3 Finalists – comparison of hardware implementations Your contact Dr David Wheeler Tel: 01183 217310 E-mail: david.wheeler@ensilica.com Address of placement The Barn, Waterloo Road, Wokingham RG40 3BY Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) July – September (negotiable) Company profile EnSilica is an IC design services and IP company. We help customers develop projects based on ASIC and FPGA technologies, and we license our own silicon IP cores. Placement description The American Computer Security Division NIST has a public competition to find the next secure HASH algorithm. The final three candidates will be announced in Jan 2012 and the algorithms published for public comment. The project is to research each algorithm architect in hardware (Verilog) an implementation for FPGA. You will review merits, size, clock speed achievable, novel hardware etc. The ideal candidate... ...is self-motivated and has an interest in cryptography, hardware languages e.g. Verilog, FPGA implementation, C/C++ coding. You will be keen to gain experience in a small consultancy (rather than a large organization).

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Company eOsphere Limited Placement title Detecting Opium from Space Your contact Nicholas Walker Tel: 01488 669 833 Mob: 0 7745 962 181 E-mail: nick.walker@eOsphere.co.uk Address of placement eOsphere Limited, 3 Great Farm Offices, West Woodhay, Newbury RG20 0BP, UK (a lift to the office could be offered from Oxford) Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) 01/07/2012 – 30/09/2012 (negotiable) Company profile eOsphere is engaged in many scientific and commercial applications of satellite-borne remote sensing of the Earth. At the cutting-edge of remote sensing, is the exploitation of the advanced capabilities of the new generation of Earth Observation satellites which are equipped with fully polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors. Placement description eOsphere are interested in developing techniques for detecting opium crops using their polarimetric radar back-scattering signature, which is sensitive to the structure and dielectric properties of the crop and helps to increase its separability from other crops. eOsphere have acquired six fully polarimetric SAR images over the south Oxfordshire region, where opium is grown legally. In this placement, you will

Co-register the images using in-house software.

Examine the time evolution of the polarimetric backscatter signature of: opium crops, other crops and forestry.

Establish the optimum set of features for opium detection.

Establish the best dates during the growing season to detect opium.

Establish the relative discrimination performance of: a single polarisation system, a dual-polarisation system, or a full (quad) polarisation system.

If funding permits this project will be in collaboration with the United Nations, the German Aerospace Centre and the University of Alicante. Should this coincide with your internship you would be expected to interact with this wider group. The ideal candidate... ...has an understanding of the fundamentals of electromagnetic radiation and statistics.

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Company HCL Technologies UK Placement title Xerographic Marking and Integration Your contact John Washington Tel: 01707 353535 E-mail: john.washington@hcl.com Address of placement Xerox Europe Technical Centre, Bessemer Road, Welwyn Garden City AL7 1HE Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) 04/06/2012 – 27/07/2012 Company profile HCL Technologies at the WGC UK Centre of Engineering is a new product development site offering end-to-end product development project management and engineering to clients such as Xerox. The site specialises in research, development and engineering of devices with electromechanical functions and embedded software elements. Placement description You will support the integration of a small number of new product intent integrated prototype xerographic imaging devices. The devices will be built in the Pilot Plan and the Marking and Imaging team will support the build process and bring-up of the devices to demonstrate they meet image quality and related product goals. This important stage of the new product delivery process will demonstrate the product's capability before transitioning to mass production. You will contribute to bring-up of the xerographic marking engine in the pilot plant. This role offers the opportunity to be hands-on by assisting the development team to integrate a complex new device. Training in xerographic systems will be given. The ideal candidate... ...is interested in multiphysics systems as applied in industrial devices. You have an interest in how new complex products are designed and demonstrated as technology capable for transition to mass production. The xerographic engine integrates physics of optics, solid state photoconductivity, electrostatics and heat transfer.

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Company INTECH, Science Centre and Planetarium Placement title Exhibition Demonstrator (two positions available) Your contact Angela Ryde-Weller Tel: 01962 863791 E-mail: angelarydeweller@intech-uk.com Address of placement INTECH, Telegraph Way, Morn Hill, Winchester SO21 1HZ Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) Must start before 23/07/2012 Company profile Intech, Science Centre and Planetarium is an independent educational charity, the aim of which is to inform, excite and enthuse people, in particular the young, about science and technology. Housed in an award winning purpose built building, Intech has an interactive exhibition housing approximately 100 hands on exhibits, all designed so that people can explore scientific principals and technological applications, a state of the art digital planetarium, the largest in the UK, and runs both inreach and outreach workshop activities for school age students. The exhibition, planetarium and workshop activities that Intech provides are used by schools, as an educational resource for the study of physical sciences, and families, as both a family learning opportunity and an enjoyable day out. Placement description The role of the exhibition demonstrator is to run science demonstrations in a “meet the scientist corner” and interact with the family visitors to Intech over the school summer holidays, these activities are provided free of charge to visitors to the Intech exhibition to increase the visitors enjoyment and science learning while at the centre. In previous years SEPnet interns have run informal workshops, in the exhibition and put together a wide range of activities for visitors to participate in. Building on these activities students will design a series of hands-on physical science activities and demonstrations designed to interest and excite our visitors. They will run the informal workshops and demonstrate scientific phenomena in an entertaining way. Their brief also includes producing marketing material to attract their audiences, working to a very small budget and within existing health and safety guidelines. There is an additional place at this site for designing a SEPnet exhibit around wind and water power. The ideal candidate... ... should be outgoing and able to communicate about physical sciences at all levels and to all ages. You must be able to show enthusiasm for the subject and able to resource, design and demonstrate inspirational activities for the young.

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Company Kittiwake Developments Ltd Placement title Development Assistant Your contact Chris Smith Tel: 01903 738343 E-mail: chriss@kittiwake.com Address of placement Kittiwake Developments Ltd, 3-6 Thorgate Road, Littlehampton, West Sussex. BN14 7RZ Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) June – August 2012 (flexible) Company profile Kittiwake Developments is a global company providing monitoring and testing technology. The company - an expert in machinery condition monitoring and fuel and lube oil analysis – is committed to investing in and developing a talented workforce to create innovative technology solutions that make a real difference to its customers. Kittiwake has recorded impressive growth in income, supported by continued growth from offices in the Asia and Americas markets, underpinned by continued and successful product innovation. The offshore oil and gas markets is key for future growth, as well as significantly investing in research and development to increase and improve our range of products for the marine and related industries. The company also has strategic partnerships with Shell Marine Products, ExxonMobil and Wilhelmsen Ship Services. More information is available at www.kittiwake.com. Placement description Assisting the development team in bringing new products to market and improving current products, the job role will include liaison with other departments such as research, chemistry and production. The candidate will be expected to work alongside other scientists and engineers to resolve technical issues for the projects in hand at the time. Typical assignments will be resolving technical issues, report writing, testing of products and liaising with suppliers. Currently the envisaged main project is the improvement of the Metallic Wear Debris Sensor product. This may include looking at the accuracy of the product as a whole and ways it could be improved and mechanical issues such as vibration and temperature susceptibility. The ideal candidate... ... should have a relevant physics background as well as an interest in electronics. Some mechanical knowledge would also be useful but not essential. You should also enjoy the hands on aspect that the role could bring, using hand tools, building and testing prototypes and using measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes and multi meters for fault finding. You should also be willing to get involved in other areas of the business if called upon.

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Company Magnetic Shields Ltd Placement title Development of magnetic testing for process control Your contact Colin Woolger Tel: 01580 891521 E-mail: colin@magneticshields.co.uk Address of placement Magnetic Shields Ltd, Hedcorn Road, Staplehurst TN12 0DS Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) June or early July start Company profile Magnetic Shields is a specialist manufacturer of magnetic shielding for many industry sectors.

See www.magneticshields.co.uk for further details. Placement description You will build on the work of last year’s intern, to characterise the shielding materials we use

and fine tune our processes, particularly final heat treatment to optimise properties of shields

using 3 axis Hall probes. We should also like to improve our abilities for more fundamental

testing of permeability and other magnetic measurements of incoming raw material. The ideal candidate... ... will have a good knowledge of magnetism and a practical nature and be prepared to work

within a small dynamic company.

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Company The Met Office Placement title Development and testing of airborne atmospheric research instrumentation Your contact Dr Clare Lee Tel: 0870 9000100 E-mail: Clare.Lee@metoffice.gov.uk Address of placement The Met Office, FitzRoy Road, Exeter EX1 3PB Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) 09/07/2012 – 31/08/2012 (negotiable) Company profile The Met Office is the world leading organisation for weather forecasting and climate prediction, with our success depending critically on having a world-class research programme. The Observation Based Research facilities group, within the Met Office, develops and maintains atmospheric instrumentation for use on the FAAM (Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements) BAe146 research aircraft, and on a new civil contingencies aircraft (to be used during events such as Icelandic volcanic ash plumes disrupting airspace). By using the aircraft and its instrumentation, specific scientific issues and weather conditions can be investigated. The facilities group performs a range of activities, from developing novel state-of-the-art instrumentation, through to installation of commercial instruments modified for an aircraft environment, understanding their performance in-flight, as well as maintaining and calibrating instruments in the laboratory. Placement description You will work alongside the facilities team in a range of laboratory activities, including testing the aircraft research instrumentation, calibration work and scientific data analysis. The main instrument you will be working on is a visible and near infrared grating spectrometer, which is used to measure specular and hemispherical irradiance properties of atmospheric phenomena such as aerosols and clouds. There will be opportunity to understand about other instrumentation on the aircraft, and the scientific application of the data to atmospheric physics processes. There may also be the opportunity to fly on the research aircraft, and experience other parts of the Met Office through forecaster shadowing and induction training. You will be expected to write a report on their work and give a presentation to the group. The ideal candidate... ... will have laboratory experience and enjoy practical work. The candidate will have experience of analysing data using IDL or Python. It would be preferable but not essential to have experience in instrumentation, electronics, instrument communication, atmospheric scientific data analysis, and the understanding of radiative transfer.

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Company National Physical Laboratory Placement title Self-validation of thermocouples using a boot-strap method, and characterisation of electrical resistance breakdown at high temperatures Your contact Jonathan Pearce Tel: 020 8943 6686 E-mail: jonathan.pearce@npl.co.uk Address of placement Hampton Road, Teddington, London TW11 0LW Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) 01/07/2012 – 31/08/2012 (negotiable) Company profile The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is one of the UK's leading science and research facilities. It is a world-leading centre of excellence in developing and applying the most accurate standards, science and technology available. NPL occupies a unique position as the UK's National Measurement Institute and sits at the intersection between scientific discovery and real world application. Its expertise and original research have underpinned quality of life, innovation and competitiveness for UK citizens and business for more than a century. Placement description Thermocouples are high temperature thermometers employed for measurement of temperatures up to 2800 °C. They consist of two dissimilar metal wires, joined at one end, called the „measuring junction‟. Thermocouples generate a voltage which is a function of the temperature at their measuring junction. Before use, these sensors are calibrated to relate the voltage to the temperature. There are two problems associated with use at high temperatures: 1. Material degradation is relatively rapid, and this changes the relationship between voltage and temperature, so the calibration is no longer valid. This is known as „drift‟ and is a major problem in a wide range of industries. 2. The ceramic material which electrically insulates the two thermoelements becomes conducting, with a resistivity that falls exponentially with temperature. Problem 1: self-validation: It is proposed that one way to detect drift is to employ a „triploid‟ or „quadloid‟ thermocouple, so that instead of two wires, there are three or four respectively, all joined at the measuring junction. During calibration, the relationship between the voltages across any pair of wires is fixed and known at a given temperature. If the sensor drifts during subsequent use, then it is expected that the relationship between these voltages will change. By regular monitoring of the voltage across each pair, any such change can be detected and possibly characterised. This is a „boot-strap‟ method because no external reference is required. The challenge is to investigate whether there is any correlation

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between in-situ drift of the sensor, as measured by extended exposure at a stable known high temperature, and the voltage across the terminals of the thermocouples. Such a correlation would enable detection and characterisation by comparing the voltages across the pairs of thermoelements. The measurements will be performed using either noble metal or nickel-based thermoelements. Problem 2: insulation resistance breakdown The electrical resistance of the insulation can be characterised by measuring the voltage between one of the thermoelements and the metal sheath of a thermocouple. The challenge is to perform these measurements at temperatures up to 2300 °C and use the measurements to inform the uncertainty associated with insulation resistance breakdown. This work be be extended to the development of a novel practical high temperature resistance thermometer which makes use of this principle. The ideal candidate... ...will enjoy experimental work using state-of-the-art apparatus and will also enjoy extensive use of data analysis tools. You will gain a sound appreciation of leading-edge physics laboratory methods, and a broad range of skills which are widely applicable in the scientific workplace. At least one peer-reviewed publication is expected to arise from this work.

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Company National Physical Laboratory Placement title The development of measurement standards for 3D scanning technologies Your contact Andy Robinson Tel: 020 8977 3222 E-mail: andy.robinson@npl.co.uk Address of placement Hampton Road, Teddington, London TW11 0LW Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) July – September 2012 (begotiable) Company profile NPL is the United Kingdom‟s National Standards Laboratory, sitting at the heart of an infrastructure designed to ensure accuracy and consistency in every physical measurement made in the UK. The Laboratory is an internationally respected centre of excellence with an international reputation for impartiality and scientific excellence. NPL has previously developed numerous custom standards for industry, academia and other leading National Measurement Institutes. NPL employs over 600 staff, including 450 research scientists and engineers, of which 500 are degree or PhD qualified, covering a range of scientific and engineering disciplines. We also have a cadre of over 100 trained and experienced project managers, primarily in research management and knowledge transfer. The Engineering Measurement Division provides a comprehensive range of high quality research, measurement, calibration and consultancy services in the areas of dimensional (optical and tactile), force, humidity, mass and temperature metrology. The team of experts has been developing and pioneering measurement techniques and instrumentation in these fields for many decades. The group undertake a wide range of contracts for industrial clients and has experience in managing projects within a commercial environment to deliver on time and to budget. Placement description The NPL FreeForm centre is a world leading facility providing support for users of 3D scanning systems for applications ranging from the measurement of aircraft wings, turbine blades and car body panels, through to teeth, ears and whale bones. The ability to accurately measure complex 3D shapes and compare them against design tolerances is a critical step in advanced manufacturing. In the last 5-10 years there have been great advances in 3D scanning technology and the software to process the captured data. The NPL FreeForm centre is focussed on the evaluation of 3D scanning systems and the development of standards to provide confidence to end users. A key long term goal is the development of internationally accepted calibration standards for 3D scanning systems. This project will focus on the development of standards and tests in order to benchmark scanning systems, in particular the way performance varies (and can be characterised) with the surface reflection

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properties of the object to be scanned. The successful applicant will be involved in designing and undertaking a series of tests - using a 3D scanning system under a range of conditions - and the analysis and presentation of measurement data. The project will be a valuable contribution to NPL‟s research in this area. The ideal candidate... ... needs to be self-motivated, disciplined and a good communicator, with strong presentation skills. A hands-on-approach is required. You should be practically minded and a logical thinker. An interest in engineering, advanced manufacturing and measurement would be beneficial, together with proficiency in optics and mathematics.

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Company Online Lubricants Ltd Placement title Undergraduate Intern Your contact John Collings Tel: 020 85070123 E-mail: john@online-lubricants.co.uk Address of placement River Road, Barking IG11 0DR Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) Negotiable Company profile Online Lubricants are distributors of branded lubricants in London and the South East

England region. Placement description This internship is to explore how Online Lubricants can benefit from the various social

marketing methods, (Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, etc.) and also how to maximise our

potential brand awareness by use of the web in general. This is a flexible project to suit the

candidate, and could also include a feasibility study into a new depot. The ideal candidate... ... will be comfortable with working flexibly, showing initiative, and being part of a busy team. You should be able to work unsupervised but still able to drive your project to its completion. You will have the opportunity to experience all aspects of business.

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Company QinetiQ Ltd Placement title Simulation & Training Systems Development Your contact Nick Reeve Tel: 01252 395382/07771 383571 E-mail: njreeve@qinetiq.com Address of placement Cody Technology Park, Ively Road, Farnborough GU14 0LX Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) 11/06/2012 – 14/09/2012 (flexible) Company profile QinetiQ is a leader in defence and security technology-based services and solutions with over 14,000 employees operating across the world. The Training and Simulation Services division provides expertise across the field of simulation and training solutions. It includes expertise in rapid prototyping of hardware and software concepts and designs, operational analysis, high fidelity dynamics modelling, novel and creative simulation solutions and leading edge research into distributed air, land and sea training. Placement description The Training and Simulation Services (TSS) division is involved in the development of a wide range of simulation based training system projects. This placement involves:

Acceptance testing of physics based simulator models and the production of supporting documentation.

Acceptance testing of „serious gaming‟ simulation and training systems

Setting up and configuration of PC networks

Support to TSS in the setup and preparation of customer demonstrations and community events

Possible involvement in software development (dependent on experience). Support to the TSS in the setup and conduct of simulator based military training events. This would provide the successful applicant(s) with valuable experience in the direct application of physical sciences based skills in a commercial environment. Experience would also be gained in project lifecycles and the use of simulation within commercial companies and the UK MoD. The ideal candidate... ... is computer literate, has a flexible approach to working environment, is proactive, self motivated and committed . You also have good written and verbal communication skills, are team spirited and supportive. It would be useful to have an enthusiasm for military simulation systems/system architectures.

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Company SELEX Galileo Placement title Detector Characterisation Your contact Clive Arthurs Tel: 02380 316709 E-mail: clive.arthurs@selexgalileo.com Address of placement SELEX Galileo, First Avenue, Millbrook Industrial Estate, Southampton SO15 0LG Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) 09/07/2012 – 31/08/2012 Company profile The SELEX Galileo facility at Millbrook is a centre of excellence for Infrared (IR) detectors. The site opened in 1956, employs around 180 people and is a world player in the research and development of advanced technology for military, industrial, and space applications. Our structure is based around R&D, Operations, and Programme Management departments. The R&D department employs a number of scientists and engineers who combine a wide range of skills and knowledge in physics, chemistry and electronics, plus specialist skills in cryogenics and vacuum technology. The department includes internationally recognised experts in the infrared field. We have a long history of collaboration with government labs and generate R&D funding through a mixture of private venture and competitive tendering. Placement description Selex Galileo‟s range of TGS detectors have applications in high performance fire detection systems and scientific instrumentation such as spectrometers. The routine testing of the product can be difficult due to the sensitivity of the detector to pressure and temperature changes. This project is to characterise the detector and its test environment to determine the causes of variability in the measurement. The output of the project will be an understanding of the factors affecting test repeatability and recommendations for (or even the implementation of) an improved test regime. The ideal candidate... ...ideally has an awareness of semiconductor principles, and the ability to build and test electronic circuits, however guidance, supervision and help will be provided.

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Company SELEX Galileo Placement title Infra-red detector design Your contact Richard Ash Tel: 02380 316838 E-mail: richard.ash@selexgalileo.com Address of placement SELEX Galileo, First Avenue, Millbrook Industrial Estate, Southampton SO15 0LG Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) 09/07/2012 – 31/08/2012 Company profile The SELEX Galileo facility at Millbrook is a centre of excellence for Infrared (IR) detectors. The site opened in 1956, employs around 180 people and is a world player in the research and development of advanced technology for military, industrial, and space applications. Our structure is based around R&D, Operations, and Programme Management departments. The R&D department employs a number of scientists and engineers who combine a wide range of skills and knowledge in physics, chemistry and electronics, plus specialist skills in cryogenics and vacuum technology. The department includes internationally recognised experts in the infrared field. We have a long history of collaboration with government labs and generate R&D funding through a mixture of private venture and competitive tendering. Placement description This project will take place within the Research and Development part of the Southampton organisation. You will have a chance to gain understanding of a variety of aspects of infra-red detector design and will go into more detail in a few areas where a personal contribution to a real ongoing detector development project will be made. There will be a mixture of practical (laboratory measurement), data analysis and modelling activities. The work will be carried out as part of a small project team and training will be given as needed. There will be some opportunity to gain experience with both in house and commercial software packages during this time. A short presentation and report will be prepared. Details will be adjusted to suit the aptitudes of the successful applicant. The project will require working in both office and laboratory environments, as part of a small team. An ability to grasp how to solve problems without close supervision is desirable. The ideal candidate... ... will be on course for a 2:1 or better, and is interested in experiencing industrial applications of optics, thermal physics, electronics, and cryogenic vacuum technology.

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Company SELEX Galileo Placement title Semiconductor process engineering with specific focus on optimizing the develop stage in photolithography Your contact Janet Bonar Tel: 02380 702300 x6963 E-mail: janet.bonar@selexgalileo.com Address of placement SELEX Galileo, First Avenue, Millbrook Industrial Estate, Southampton SO15 0LG Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) 09/07/2012 – 31/08/2012 (start and end date flexible but must be a continuous eight week period) Company profile The SELEX Galileo facility at Millbrook is a centre of excellence for Infrared (IR) detectors. The site opened in 1956, employs around 180 people and is a world player in the research and development of advanced technology for military, industrial, and space applications. Our structure is based around R&D, Operations, and Programme Management departments. The R&D department employs a number of scientists and engineers who combine a wide range of skills and knowledge in physics, chemistry and electronics, plus specialist skills in cryogenics and vacuum technology. The department includes internationally recognised experts in the infrared field. We have a long history of collaboration with government labs and generate R&D funding through a mixture of private venture and competitive tendering. Placement description This project will take place within the semiconductor fabrication area of Selex; the aims of the project are to examine the process parameters which affect pattern development and propose an optimized process. An in-depth understanding of the principles of pattern transfer by lithographic processes will be required to determine which parameters are likely to cause the variations observed. Laboratory trials will be required to determine how the process parameters can be modified and to measure the result on the patterns produced. Good problem-solving skills and creativity will be required to determine commercially viable solutions, with the aim of reducing reqork rates and cost, as well as increasing throughput. The ideal candidate... ...will have strong laboratory skills, be comfortable working in a cleanroom in a manufacturing environment. You will work as part of the Wafer Fabrication Process Engineering team, and take part in regular reviews of ongoing work, as well as report progress on the lithography project.

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Company Solent Composite Systems Placement title Project Engineer Your contact Matthew Chalk Tel: 01983 292602 E-mail: matt@solentcomposites.com Address of placement Victoria Barracks, Albany Road, East Cowes (Isle of Wight) PO32 6AA Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) Summer 2012 Company profile Solent Composite Systems (SCS) is a leader in the design and manufacture of high performance composite solutions for technically demanding applications in engineering projects worldwide. Solent Composite Systems‟ ethos delivers customer satisfaction by working in tandem to develop bespoke durable solutions on time and within budget. SCS forges lasting customer partnerships by integrating creative engineering design, innovative composites technology, industry experience and intensive project management to ensure all projects achieve unparalleled success. mainly working in the oil & gas sectors where quality and timely delivery are paramount, a reputation for both innovation and reliability was quickly established. This enabled Solent Composites to become a leading supplier of moulds and components for the fast growing renewable energy sector. Placement description Engineering and design of products. Project documentation including drawings , project management support, and liaising with selected suppliers The ideal candidate... ...will have a knowledge of mechanical engineering, CAD experience in 3D packages, with materials knowledge, preferably in composites.

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Company Symetrica Security Ltd Placement title Research and Development Scientist Your contact Grant Crossingham Tel: 02380 111580 E-mail: grant@symetrica.com Address of placement Phi House, Enterprise Road, Southampton Science Park SO16 7NS Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) Mid-July to mid-September (negotiable) Company profile Symetrica specializes in detection and identification of radioisotopes for security applications. We design, develop, test and deploy detection equipment for use by law enforcement personnel, customs officers, the emergency services, military personnel and first responders. Our Discovery Technology™ isotope detection and identification technology, manufactured in the USA, is included in systems designed for Homeland Security and marketed worldwide. In RadSeeker, a new handheld isotope identification system approved by the DNDO for production deployment, our technology has passed extensive government testing at multiple locations throughout the U.S. Symetrica also has modelling and prototyping capabilities that draw on extensive experience in gamma-ray spectroscopy and imaging. Products include a new Helium-3 free neutron detection system for Radiation Portal Monitors with applications in security screening, mass transit and event management. Placement description Detection of illicit traffic in radioactive materials, which could be used to make dirty bombs, is a very high priority for the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office of the US Department of Homeland Security. Special Nuclear Materials which could constitute a threat, must be identified against a background of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials, a range of legally transported radioactive materials such as medical isotopes, and other background radiation. Detection and identification has to be achieved rapidly without disrupting the normal flow of commerce. Symetrica has developed unique technology which can detect and accurately identify threat materials, even when they are hidden in heavily shielded containers. Several systems are under development for this purpose. Testing and analysis of these systems are required, leading to modification in both the hardware and software. The placement student could be involved any part of this design process depending on the timing of the project. The ideal candidate... ... will be technically minded, capable of writing technical reports, operating scientific instrumentation and writing and performing scientific test plans.

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Company Things We Don't Know Placement title Science Communicator Your contact Ed Trollope Tel: +49 1515 4769927 E-mail: rocketeddy@thingswedontknow.com Address of placement The Hub Kings Cross, 34b York Way, London N1 9AB Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) 04/06/2012 – 27/08/2012 (negotiable) Company profile Things We Don't Know (TWDK) is a new social enterprise which seeks to become the definitive "TO-DO list" for science. When hearing about awards for science funding, members of the public want to understand what the money is being spent on. When choosing a PhD, it is vital that a student has all the information necessary to choose both the right subject to study and the correct place to do it. On receiving a press release about a new breakthrough, a journalist needs independent experts in the same field they can contact for comment. TWDK is addressing these needs by creating an easy to browse and publically accessible online catalogue of scientific research topics, with straightforward descriptions of the phenomena being investigated and links to the institutes delving into them. By explaining the questions we know science hasn‟t found the answer to (yet) we aim to increase public awareness of current research, and simultaneously provide a valuable service to those searching for PhD opportunities, science journalists, universities and researchers. Placement description You will be responsible for interviewing scientific researchers at SEPnet universities, writing up the research they are performing in 'everyday English' using our online interface, and assisting our international editorial team to create finished articles. You would preferably be based at a partner university, but may be invited to meetings at "The Hub" in London. You will gain - experience in arranging and performing face-to-face interviews - time management and project planning - a multi-disciplinary understanding of current scientific research - attribution on online articles which can be shown to future employers. The ideal candidate... ... must have good written English, preferably a native speaker, and be capable of explaining complex concepts in accessible language.

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Company Ultra Electronics Nuclear Control Systems Placement title Evaluation and Enhancement of Fluorescent Optical Sensor range Your contact Lesley Fewell Tel: 01202 850450 E-mail: Lesley.Fewell@ultra-ncs.com Address of placement Lancaster Road, Fernside Park, Ferndown Industrial Estate, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 7SQ Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) July/August/September 2012 (negotiable) Company profile Nuclear Control Systems, part of Ultra Electronics, is a global supplier of reactor instrumentation and control, radiation detection, measurement and monitoring systems. The business now runs in excess of 20 programmes with a team of 140 engineers. Sustained Growth within Nuclear Control Systems enabled a move of two of its sites (Winfrith and Poole) to a brand new facility in Wimborne, Dorset in September 2010. The site has undergone significant modification and is an investment in Ultra‟s drive into the energy market. It creates a nuclear identity within a modern facility which is easily accessible to customers and allows room for future expansion. With other sites in Buckinghamshire and Lancashire the business boasts a team of highly skilled employees with expertise that spans the civil and military nuclear sectors and the business focus builds on Ultra‟s expertise in: • Nuclear Propulsion • Civil Power Generation • Nuclear Sensors and Radiation Monitoring • Emergency Response Information Management System (NERIMS) With a focus toward building current expertise going forward the Nuclear Control Systems strategy for 2012 – 2016 includes continuing recruitment of SQEP, recruitment of more „early career‟ employees such as graduates and apprentices, an increase in training and development and formal knowledge transfer programmes. Placement description This placement could be working with a number of projects currently being run incorporating: 1. Systems Engineering - requirements definition, verification and validation (specification and carrying out tests) 2. Research - searches for components, techniques, what current research is underway and where 3. Analysis - reliability, timing, 4. Design - mechanical, electronics (analogue and digital) and software The ideal candidate... ...has a positive attitude, exceptional attention to detail, and experience is interested in engineering – particularly electrical / electronics or physics.

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Company Weald Technology Ltd Placement title Ultra-low emission concept vehicle Your contact Phil Edwards Tel: 01825 761890 E-mail: phil@weald-evt.co.uk Address of placement 7 Olives Meadow, Uckfield, East Sussex Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) Flexible Company profile Weald Technology are involved in design, engineering and manufacture of ultra-low-emission vehicles. We recently built the UK's quickest drag-race electric motorcycle, are attracting sponsorship to build a world-record contender, and are designing a commercial product for low-carbon transport. This project is at an early stage and will be subject to a confidentiality agreement. Placement description Assistance with design and engineering of a number of powertrain solutions for an ultra-low-emission vehicle. We already have a number of useful contacts, and are looking for someone to pull together information from these, and seek other possible partners. The aim is to report on options for a number of low-emission solutions be they all-electric, hybrid, or range-extenders. Depending upon project status there may be an opportunity to work on the electric drag-race motorcycle project. The ideal candidate... ..will be comfortable undertaking some work from home (we are a very small company and not all work can take place at our premises). You will work under a confidentiality agreement and will need to talk to potential suppliers and other partners. There is no requirement to negotiate prices; this is purely a technical review at this stage.

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Placements in Research

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Company Diamond Light Source Placement title Investigation of the adsorption of halo-alkanes on hexagonal-Boron Nitride from their liquids and binary mixtures. Your contact Laura Holland Tel: 01252 778543 E-mail: laura.holland@diamond.ac.uk Supervisor will be Tom Arnold/Chris Nicklin Address of placement Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) Summer 2012 (to be confirmed) Institution details Diamond Light Source is the UK‟s national synchrotron science facility, located at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire. By accelerating electrons to near light-speed, Diamond generates brilliant beams of light from infra-red to X-rays which are used for academic and industry research and development across a range of scientific disciplines including structural biology, physics, chemistry, materials science, engineering, earth and environmental sciences. Placement description This project will study the phase behaviour and structures of halo-alkanes (principally iodo-alkanes) adsorbed on the surface of Boron Nitride powders using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and powder x-ray diffraction (if available). This work builds on recent results of alkanes, which suggest the existence of persistent solid monolayers adsorbed at the interface between the boron nitride and bulk-like fluid layers. These layers are stabilized above the bulk melting point (by 5-8%) but to a lesser extent than for similar alkane layers seen on the iso-electronic graphite substrate (where they melt 10-14% above the bulk). This difference has some subtle influences on the phase behavior of binary mixtures adsorbed at the interface, which can be detected by DSC. It is likely that understanding the structure of these monolayers will help to understand these thermodynamic effects. However measurements of the structures of alkanes have proved problematic due to their low electron density. Halogenated alkanes offer an alternative that we know makes the x-ray measurements possible, and also has some additional points of interest such as solid-solid phase transitions and some interesting phase behaviour in binary mixtures. The ideal candidate... ...is a student interested in physical chemistry. For more information on Diamond and the I07 beamline see http://www.diamond.ac.uk/I07

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Company ISIS Pulsed Neutron & Muon Source, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Placement title Monitoring plastic deformation in metals by neutron diffraction and video imaging Your contact Joe Kelleher Tel: 01235 446922/07754 415535 Email: joe.kelleher@stfc.ac.uk Address of placement Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot OX11 0QX Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) Flexible but should include a few weeks within the period from 10th July to 9th August. Institution details ENGIN-X is a world-leading neutron diffractometer at the ISIS neutron source. It is used to measure elastic strain and phase changes at the microstructural level in both samples of test material and manufactured components. Individual materials are tested by mechanically loading a sample while simultaneously using the neutron beam to measure the inter-atomic spacing in each phase or grain orientation. High/ or cryo-temperature loading or repeated loading can also be performed to examine how these factors affect the mechanism of deformation. Furthermore, strain may be „mapped‟ in manufactured components (typically those with welds or castings) by sequentially measuring different points within the sample, to see residual stress after manufacture and predict likely locations of failure. Placement description The effects of loading rate and temperature on deformation of various metals are being studied. By firing a neutron beam at a sample while it is deforming, and looking at how the neutrons are diffracted from the crystal lattice within the material, one is able to see how the applied load is distributed at the microstructural and atomic level. Meanwhile, a recently developed high-resolution video camera system can be used to monitor the behaviour of the bulk sample, looking for the onset of plastic deformation or the formation of cracks. This placement involves performing a series of materials deformation tests at a variety of deformation speeds and temperatures, and analysing the results to determine trends in material behaviour. Furthermore, we will actively encourage the student to propose hardware and software improvements to the loading and video monitoring system, and a budget is available for this purpose. The ideal candidate... ... will need knowledge of a computer programming language, ideally Python, and be proficient in analysing numerical data in Excel, Matlab or a similar tool. Java, C or C++ would also be useful. You should also have a keen interest in condensed matter and materials science, and possibly particle physics or photography. You must be able and willing to work with ionizing radiation and be issued with a dosimeter

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Institution University of Kent Applied Optics Group Placement title Three projects in Applied Optics Your contact Professor Adrian Podoleanu Tel: 01227 823272, 07940582321 Email: ap11@kent.ac.uk Address of placement Ingram 301, School of physical sciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NH Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) 15/06/2012 – 14/09/2012 Institution details The AOG is home to about fifteen academics, research staff and postgraduate students working on a range of projects. Most of our work is currently being focused on the field of Optical Coherence Tomography, including work on the applications of OCT, the development of swept-sources, wavefront sensors and adaptive optics. Placement description There are three projects available at Kent but one placement. Funding will be allocated to the project and student with the best skills match. Project 1 - Hand–held probe for optical coherence tomography of skin and gum This project involves mainly optical design, assembly of opto-mechanics, adjustment of optical coherence tomography ( OCT) systems and imaging) Problem: To perform imaging of different parts of the body, a movable probe head is required. The design should incorporate the fibre connecting the scanner device in the probe head to the core of the OCT system. Innovative aspects: Different versions will be evaluated, such as a 1D probe head and a 2D probe head. The 1D probe will employ a galvo-scanner and be used with spectral domain OCT systems. The 2D probe will employ a fast dual axis galvoscanner and will be used with a time domain en-face OCT system. You will have the opportunity to learn about scanning technology, fibre optic instrumentation, opto-mechanical design. The student will participate in the OCT research of the Applied Optics Group and will use the hand held probe and systems to image different objects. Collaboration with Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust will give the student the possibility to image skin tissue.

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The ideal candidate... ... enjoys a laboratory environment, performing experimental research. You will also have some knowledge of photonics devices and technologies.

Project 2 - Control programme for a high sensitive, high speed, swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) system This project focuses on software and data acquisition. Project brief or objectives: Using a fast tuneable laser source, a SS-OCT system can be set up. The achievable signal to noise ratio is much larger than that of a time domain OCT systems. This explains the large interest in SS-OCT in the last two years. Essential to take advantage of this exquisite performance, which allows OCT to work at more than 100 kHz line rate is the acquisition board and the software to permit such high data rate. You will be involved in the design of such data acquisition interface. A fast I/O board from National Instruments will be provided and access given to the latest version of LabView. You will collaborate with researchers in the Photonics Centre/Applied Optics Group working on the hardware optics of a SS-OCT. Depending on your expertise, the program could also be developed in any other language such as Matlab. The program has to handle the source sweeping and the calibration signal provided by a comb generator to produce real time cross sections of biologic samples. The work will be mainly on software, however you may also be involved in some parts of the Optics and Electronics of the system if you would like. Innovative aspects: novel procedures to calibrate and linearise the data collected in spectral OCT, no such programme exists commercially. You will have the opportunity to learn about Fibre optics (technology), lasers, fibre optic characterization and testing, signal processing, Fourier domain OCT, non-invasive high resolution optical imaging, interfacing measurement instruments with OCT systems. The ideal candidate... ...will have experience in C++ or Labview

Project 3 - Novel Optical Coherence Tomography endoscope This project focuses on optical design, assembly of opto-mechanics, adjustment of optical coherence tomography ( OCT) systems and imaging). Problem: To perform imaging of different parts of the body, a movable probe head is required. The design should incorporate the fibre connecting an optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging system outside the body and a scanner device inside an endoscope. Innovative aspects: Different versions will be evaluated, such as using fibre bundles, as well as micro mechanical devices to perform rotational or axial movement. You will have the opportunity to learn about scanning technology, fibre optic instrumentation, opto-mechanical design. The student will participate in the OCT research of the Applied Optics Group and will use the endoscope probe and systems to image different objects. Collaboration with Northwick Park Hospital NHS Trust, London. The ideal candidate... ...wants to work in a laboratory environment, performing experimental research. Resilience in continuous work on performing optical alignment. Assemble of tiny optical parts under microscope. You have knowledge of photonics devices and photonics technologies.

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Institution University of Portsmouth Placement title Acoustic Beamforming Your contact Chris Dewdney Tel: 02392 842417 E-mail: Chris.dewdney@port.ac.uk Address of placement School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Burnaby Building, Portsmouth PO1 3QL Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) Should begin in June (flexible) Institution details The project will be carried out under the joint supervision of Dr Aled Catherall (dstl Acoustics) and Dr Chris Dewdney (Physics – University of Portsmouth). Placement description The overall aim of the project is to design and assemble a system which is capable of autonomously sensing the direction to a sound source. This will enable the following aims to be addressed:

Investigate accuracy of theory regarding the sensitivity and resolution of antennas

Demonstrate advantages/disadvantages of different computer programming paradigms for controlling peripheral equipment and for signal processing

Preliminary design of a 2nd year laboratory experiment for undergraduate students Pre-defined signals on a computer are converted into electrical signals and fed to a loudspeaker via a data input/output module. The loudspeaker converts the voltage signals into sound waves. An array of microphones then converts the sound into voltage signals which are fed back to the computer via the data input/output module. By applying appropriate signal processing, it is possible to calculate the incident angle of the sound waves upon the array – much in the same way our brain process signals from our ears to identify the direction to a sound source. This process is called beamforming. Control of peripheral equipment and signal processing will be computer controlled using programmes written in Labview, which is a graphical based programming language, and in a script based language such as Matlab, Python or C/C++. A system capable of automatically determining the direction to a sound source Short report describing the system, its performance in comparison to theory and the relative merits of different programming paradigms. The ideal candidate... ...has good experimental skills, and an interest in developing skills in computer-based data acquisition and instrument control.

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Institution Queen Mary, University of London Placement title Organic Photovoltaics Your contact Theo Kreouzis Tel: 020 7882 3432 Email: t.kreouzis@qmul.ac.uk Address of placement School of Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) June/July start (flexible) Institution details This project is based at the Centre for Condensed Matter and Materials Physics at Queen Mary, University of London. Placement description Photovoltaic power generation is of public interest. As well as traditional Silicon photovoltaic devices, there exists a growing industry using non-traditional materials, such as organic semiconductors (e,g, Konarka Technologies Inc). The project involves fabricating and characterising organic photovoltaic devices (dispersed bulk heterojunctions). It will enable a student to become involved both with our research interests (in modifying the solubilised Fullerenes used in such devices), and in the broader context of photovoltaics in society and in industry. The fabrication uses solution processing of organics, which will benefit someone wanting to go into postgraduate study in organics, as well someone wishing to join industry, where these techniques are standard. This is also true of the characterisation; I-V measurements under illumination are standard for measuring photovoltaic action and quantify the behaviour of a given device, irrespective of whether it is organic, inorganic or hybrid. The quantities measured by it (e.g. Voc, Isc, fill factor, power conversion efficiency, internal quantum efficiency etc) are applied generally. In addition to the technical skills gained, the student will be able to communicate the function and principles of operation of photovoltaic devices to both a specialist and lay audience. The ideal candidate... ...would be interested in postrgraduate study or an industrial career in organics.

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Institution Royal Holloway, University of London Placement title Optimisation of a novel extreme-conditions susceptometer for the search of unconventional superconductivity Your contact Philipp Niklowitz Tel: 01784 443499 Email: philipp.niklowitz@rhul.ac.uk Address of placement Department of Physics, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, TW20 0EX Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) 11/06/2012 – 03/08/2012 (negotiable) Institution details Royal Holloway is one of four major centres for Physics teaching and research in the University of London. The Physics department has an outstanding international reputation for its research and is regularly rated near the top of the UK newspaper rankings for teaching. We carefully maintain a medium-sized department with an excellent staff-student ratio, a friendly atmosphere and individual attention that is highly conducive to learning. Placement description A key step towards the discovery of room-temperature superconductivity and associated applications is believed to be to understand recently discovered unconventional forms of superconductivity. When scanning specimens for signs of unconventional superconductivity the success rate is greatly enhanced if material tuning is employed, which can be achieved by high-pressure techniques. We have developed a novel high-pressure susceptometer for use during tuning experiments from zero up to 200000 atmospheres. You will optimise the susceptometer in a new pressure cell consisting of fully non-magnetic components and demonstrate its benefit by exploring the scientifically important material Mo3Sb7, which is already known to show superconductivity at low pressure. The high-pressure measurements will reveal whether the superconducting state is unconventional in originating from magnetic interactions. You will acquire skills in low-temperature and high-pressure techniques. You will have the opportunity to work independently and take responsibility in a technical development project. The project also offers the potential for you to collect publishable data and earn a co-authorship on a high-impact paper. This will give you a head start in the later competition for a PhD project. The ideal candidate... ...is a very good student interested in experimental condensed matter physics, who feels comfortable with carrying out delicate work under a microscope. Knowledge of solid-state magnetism is desirable. The project would be most beneficial to a student whose career plan, includes a PhD Programme.

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Institution University of Southampton Placement title A novel detector for neutral molecules made of graphene Your contact Dr Hendrik Ulbricht Tel: 023 8059 2073 Email: h.ulbricht@soton.ac.uk Address of placement Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) 07/07/2012 – 30/08/2012 Institution details The University of Southampton is one of just five Universities to have achieved a 5* rating for Physics in each of the last two government RAEs. Placement description This project involves working on the graphene based particle detector. The detector acts mechanically and the adsorbed particles change the vibration resonance of the graphene membrane. The vibration will be read out electronically as well as optically. You will work in our group with PhD and MPhys students. The graphene devices are fabricated in a clean room by nanofabrication techniques and you will be trained to join this work. The test of the detectors will be done in state-of-the-art ultra-high vacuum chambers with molecular beams. The optical detection method includes a stabilised Michelson interferometer. The ideal candidate... ...is highly motivated and on course for a First Class degree,

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Institution University of Surrey Placement title Patterning Coatings with Infrared Evaporative Lithography Your contact Prof Joe Keddie Tel: 01483 686803 Email: j.keddie@surrey.ac.uk Address of placement University of Surrey Department of Physics, Guildford GU2 7XH Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) 09/07/2012 – 31/08/2012 (negotiable) Institution details The project will use the laboratories of the Soft Matter Physics Group, which offer facilities for atomic force microscopy, ellipsometry, UV/visible spectroscopy, and thermal/mechanical analysis. Experimental research includes studies of carbon nanotube nanocomposites, electroactive polymers, adhesives, surface patterning, and nanoparticles. Placement description This project is offered by the Univeristy of Surrey in collaboration with several industrial partners, including a major UK department store. A new method to create patterned polymer coatings on glass has been invented at the University of Surrey. The student will carry out physical measurements to understand the process so that it can be improved. The patterned coatings are created by casting polymer nanoparticles in water onto a surface. Intense infrared radiation is then shined through a mask above the wet layer to heat the desired regions. Water is lost by evaporation faster in the radiated regions, and nanoparticles are carried to those regions to replace the water, which results in a raised polymer surface. Measurements of temperatures, evaporation rates, and size scale of the patterned surfaces will be used to characterise the process. Meetings with industrial collaborators (polymer manufacturer, IR lamp supplier, and retailer) are likely. In additional to the practical experience provided by the project, there will also be opportunities to present the results of the research at Group Meetings of the Soft Matter Group. Guidance and training will be provided by a research fellow and by PhD students in the Group. The ideal candidate... ... wants practical and hands-on experience. Some knowledge of materials and chemistry (such as from A-Level Chemistry) would be an advantage, but is not essential. The project would also suit someone who enjoys an academic setting but who also wants to collaborate with several industrial partners.

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Institution University of Sussex Placement title Frequency doubling of IR diode lasers Your contact Dr Matthias Keller Tel: 01273 877673 Email: m.k.keller@sussex.ac.uk Address of placement Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QH Dates of placement (these can be approximate or negotiable) 30/07/2012 – 28/09/2012 (negotiable) Institution details The Molecular Physics Laboratory Sussex investigates ultra-cold chemical reactions and performs high resolution spectroscopy of molecular ions. Employing techniques from quantum information processing, we develop tools to manipulate molecular states with unparalleled precision. Placement description Continuous lasers in the ultra-violet are important tools for the laser cooling and state detection of atomic ions. However, often there are no lasers available at the required wavelength. In contrast, the near IR range of the light spectrum is entirely covered by diode lasers. These lasers are easy to use, reliable and cheap. In order to generate UV laser radiation, the light of an IR diode laser is frequency doubled by an intra-cavity non-linear crystal. The goal of this project is to design, plan and build a frequency doubled diode laser system consisting of an IR diode laser and an optical cavity to enhance the laser power. Skills you will acquire:

Electronic design and circuit production

Optics design and alignment

Set up of diode lasers