Externally Funded Projects
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The Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship, Title: Engineering nano-materials for realising tomorrow's optical technologies, £250k, 2020-25;
PI: Mohsen Rahmani, NTU
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UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship. Title: All-optical near-infrared imaging via semiconductor nano
-crystals £1.2 million, 2021-25.
PI: Mohsen Rahmani, NTU
Co-I: Lei Xu, NTU
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Extension - UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship. Title: All-optical near-infrared imaging via semiconductor nanocrystals, £567k, 2025-28.
PI: Mohsen Rahmani
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Industrial Proof of Concept Funding, Project Title: “Nonlinear imaging via sum frequency generation and four-wave mixing”, €120k (2023-2024); €140k (2023-2024).
PI: Lei Xu, NTU
Co-I: Mohsen Rahmani (NTU), Cuifeng Ying (NTU), Dragomir Neshev (Australian National University (ANU), Chennupati Jagadish (ANU), Hoe Tan (ANU), Rocio Camacho-Morales (ANU), Daria Smirnova (ANU)
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European Research Council Consolidator Grant, Title: Universal Platform for Infra-Red Imaging, €3 Millions, 2025-2030
PI: Mohsen Rahmani, NTU
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Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration India (SPARC), £60k, 2024-2025; PI: Gaurav Sapra, Panjab University (PU) Co-I: Cuifeng Ying (NTU), Mohsen Rahmani (NTU), Rajesh Kumar (PU), Ankur Gupta (PU)
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The United Kingdom British Council-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) - 4 Strand Institutional Research & Mobility Partnerships £60k, 2024-2025;​​ PI: Dr Cuifeng Ying Co-I: Mohsen Rahmani (NTU), Gaurav Sapra (PU), Rajesh Kumar (PU), Ankur Gupta (PU)
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The Royal Society Yusuf Hamied Visiting Fellowship, £12k, 2024 PI: Mohsen Rahmani Co-I: Panjab University India
Our Research Streams
Advanced Optics and Photonics (AOP) (2020-) focuses on designing, fabricating and engineering subwavelength nanostructures that can resonantly couple to the incident light and manipulate the light's behaviour on demand. Capitalising on our expertise in nanophotonics, we aim to realise tomorrow’s technologies today, via the following research streams:
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Linear photonics, where arrays of nanostructures, so-called metasurfaces, are designed to reproduce the functions of bulk optics such as mirrors, filters, lenses, prisms, etc. On occasion, metasurfaces can offer functionalities that are not possible with conventional diffractive optics. Examples of our collaborative research highlights in Linear Photonics:
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Nonlinear photonics, where all-optical conversation of light frequencies (colours) via engineered metasurfaces are designed and fabricated for NIR imaging, night-vision, etc.​ Thus, nano-devices, e.g. nano-cameras and nano-sensors, can be designed to alter the light properties that could not be achieved otherwise. Examples of our collaborative research highlights in Linear Photonics:
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Bio-photonics, where ultrasensitive nanoscale sensors are designed and developed for the detection of low-concentration substances/biomarkers down to the single protein level.
News
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Lei Xu wins inaugural Advanced Photonics Young Innovator Award. ​
Key Updates
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2025: AOP leader, Prof. Mohsen Rahmani, secured a European Research Council Consolidator Grant on nonlinear infrared imaging.
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2024: AOP Theme leader, Dr Lei Xu, has been promoted to Associate Professor in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field of Optics and Photonics.
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2024: The UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship of AOP leader, Prof. Mohsen Rahmani has been extended to 2027
External Roles & Services
Mohsen Rahmani:
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IEEE Nanotechnology Council Distinguished Lecturer 2024-2025
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Associate Editor and the UK representative of the Journal of Opto-Electronic Advances
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Co-Guest Editor for "JOSA B" Journal on the special issue on "Advances in Nanophotonic Fabrication Techniques":
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Co-Guest Editor for "Discover Nano" Journal, on a special issue on "Ultrafast and Nonlinear Photonics at the Nanoscale: Emerging Phenomena and Applications":
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Past Chair, IEEE Nanotechnology Chapter, UK and Ireland section, 2021-2023
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AOP LABS
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The Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) Springboard Award, Title: Dynamic Profiling of Individual, Unmodified Intrinsically Disordered Proteins using Optical Nanotweezers, £125k, 2025-2027,
PI: Cuifeng Ying
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The Royal Society International Exchanges, Title: Single-molecule characterisation of proteins using plasmonic nanopores – synchronised optical and electrical measurement, £12k, 2025-2027, PI: Cuifeng Ying (NTU),
Co-I: Hirohito Yamazaki (Nagaoka University of Technology)
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