Postdoc: Inverse Design of Broadband Multi-parameter Nanophotonic Sensors

Postdoc: Inverse Design of Broadband Multi-parameter Nanophotonic Sensors

Institute AMOLF

Amsterdam, Netherlands

From € 4,552 per month gross

Work Activities

The Photonic Forces group at AMOLF is looking for a motivated and talented postdoctoral researcher to join an ambitious interdisciplinary project on next-generation optical sensing technologies. In this project, you will develop novel theoretical and numerical methods for the inverse design of nanophotonic structures enabling broadband, multiparameter sensing in fiber-based systems.

The project is a collaboration between AMOLF, TU Eindhoven, and industrial partners, aiming to establish a new paradigm for nanophotonic fiber sensing. Modern industry increasingly relies on real-time monitoring of various quantities, such as pressure, temperature, and acceleration. While optical sensors have great advantages, they are challenged by high cost and the difficulty to distinguish various physical quantities. We address these challenges by developing broadband nanophotonic sensors that disentangle multiple physical parameters from complex optical spectra. This approach raises fundamental questions on how information about parameters is optimally encoded and retrieved from light. In particular, it requires understanding how multimode photonic systems respond to mechanical and thermal perturbations, what sets the ultimate precision limits of such measurements, and how nanophotonic structures can be designed to approach these limits.

As a postdoc, you will develop theoretical models and inverse design strategies for optomechanical nanophotonic transducers. You will investigate how to engineer their spectral response for multiparameter sensing, guided by fundamental bounds on estimation precision, and implement advanced computational design methods to realize optimal structures. Your work will directly connect fundamental concepts in nanophotonics and measurement theory to the development of new sensing technologies, in close collaboration with experimental researchers and industrial partners.

Our group offers an open and collaborative environment in which we focus on hands-on learning and personal growth of all group members. We are looking for excited and talented candidates, who are eager to develop new skills and engage new challenges in close collaboration with colleagues.

Qualifications

We seek an excellent candidate with a background in physics or engineering, with relevant experience in nanophotonic theory and/or novel automated design approaches. You need to have a doctoral degree, or have met all the requirements and will receive the doctoral degree shortly. The successful candidate has a collaborative spirit, and will liaise with collaborators. We strongly believe in the benefits of an inclusive and diverse workplace, and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.