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Water is one of the most miraculous gifts to humankind. Our present-day lifestyle, industrialization, farming practices, medical care and warfare activities have given rise to a wide range of contaminants of emerging concerns (CECs). They enter our environment through various pathways, accumulate leading to hazardous effects on ecological and human health.  Optical chemical sensors have a huge potential in sensitive, convenient, cost-effective and real-time environmental monitoring of pollutants. They make use of optical parameters like absorbance; Raman spectrum; and fluorescence intensity, wavelength, lifetime and quantum yield for detection of contaminants. Variation in any of these parameters in presence of specific contaminants gives detectable optical signals for detection.

This project, will develop trace optical sensors for industrial contaminants, and pharmaceuticals in water bodies. Experimental work will include clean-room fabrication of thin-film sensors, optical characterisation of their response to different contaminants, and testing the sensors in real-world environments.

• Organic Semiconductor Centre

An exciting research opportunity is available to investigate the precise molecular mechanisms through which the brain regulates appetite, using advanced real-time imaging techniques and neuronal culture systems. In particular, this project aims to investigate the role of Melanocortin Receptor Accessory Protein 2 (MRAP2) in the trafficking and signal transduction of the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R), which is crucial for regulating hunger and energy balance in the brain. Using advanced single cell imaging and functional fluorescence microscopy, the study will track MC4R dynamics in live neurons and assess changes in receptor expression and intracellular signaling in response to MRAP2. The findings could provide insights into the mechanisms underlying obesity and potential interventions for its prevention.

Applicants should hold, or expect to achieve, a 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent) in Biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience or a related discipline.

This project has been awarded IBANS Research Bursary of £1000 for research expenses. For further details on the project and informal enquiries please look at the web page of the Institute for Behavioural and Neural Sciences and contact Dr Javier Tello (jt65@st-andrews.ac.uk) and Dr Paolo Annibale (pa53@st-andrews.ac.uk).

As all fields and particles, light obeys the Heisenberg uncertainty principle for position and momentum. If the uncertainty of the position is larger or smaller than of the momentum, the state is called a momentum- or position- squeezed state. These 'squeezed states' can be produced with laser light in a relatively simple way.
The aim of the project is to design and construct a detector for these squeezed states of light and to test it in the laboratory. The detector employs an efficient photodiode and a low noise photocurrent amplifier.
Design blueprints for this type of detector are available as a starting point for the project. The aim is to build a detector that is more sensitive and has more bandwidth than existing solutions that will be used for guidance.
You should enjoy to engineer and built a device for a practical application.
The project will start with a review of previous work in the group and specific ideas in the literature about increasing the sensitivity of the detector. With the aid of the supervisor you will then develop a prototype design idea, which will be simulated on the computer. Once the simulation is successful, you will design the printed circuitboard (PCB) with the appropriate software and we will order the PCB and electronics components in. The detector will then be built in the electronics workshop in the department (or by the student) and tested in the laboratory for sensitivity, bandwidth and linearity. If time permits, we can test the detector with squeezed light.
At the end of the project you will have learned about quantum aspects of light, optical ``direct" detection, the simulation of electronics and practical implementation using PCB CAD software. You will be working in a state-of –the art laser facility.

References:
"Quantentomographische Charakterisierung gequetschter Zustände" (https://pure.mpg.de/rest/items/item_151309/component/file_151308/content) 
"Resonant photodetector for cavity- and phase-locking of squeezed state generation" (https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4966249)

• Experimental quantum optics