Light can be twisted, bent, and sculpted to break its own physical limits. This project aims to reshape light itself—controlling its phase, amplitude, and polarisation—to overcome long-standing barriers in photonics, such as the diffraction limit that blurs images of tiny objects and the scattering that prevents light from penetrating deep into tissue. These constraints currently limit how well we can see inside living cells, deliver therapy to precise locations in the body, or create compact, laser-like light sources without a traditional laser. By structuring light in new ways, the researchers hope to unlock super-resolution microscopy, nanoscopic sensing, single-cell proteomics, and spatially controlled optogenetics—tools that could transform medical imaging, diagnostics, and treatment. The work is fundamental science, driven by a deeper understanding of how light propagates and interacts with matter. It does not promise a specific product or cure. But just as the transistor reshaped electronics, a new ability to shape light could underpin future internet infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and healthcare technologies that are difficult to predict today.
View original technical description
Photonics is the science of generating, controlling and detecting light. The field is at the crossroads of several disciplines including physics, biology, materials, mathematics and chemistry. Following the rapid evolution of electronics subsequent to the invention of the transistor in the late 1940's, the coming decades will see photonics impact most areas of our lives including future internet infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, radical new approaches to Healthcare, Lighting and enabling a revolution in sensing and imaging. However, convention teaches us that focussing of light is constrained by the Abbé diffraction limit, that light penetrates tissue poorly due to Rayleigh and Mie scattering and that collimated, coherent light emission requires a laser. By challenging such established conventions with a transformative understanding of the fundamentals of light propagation, we can create a paradigm shift; while the 20th century was the century of the electron, we firmly believe that the 21st will be the century of the photon. In order to realize this vision, we need to explore the fundamental concepts of coherently shaping light in phase, amplitude and polarization - structuring light - to unveil startling advances. In particular, the structuring and shaping of light will break through perceived limits and open up the next generation of opportunities, particularly in the burgeoning areas of healthcare and biophotonics. Four projects will run in parallel and by combining their outputs, we aim to overcome current limits in Photonics and address major Challenges such as super-resolution microscopy, nanoscopic sensing, single cell proteomics, ubiquitous laser-like sources, spatially controlled optogenetics, therapy and imaging at depth
Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.
Is something wrong? Let us know