Merklein is the independent PI within the Eggleton group most focused on the acoustic side of Brillouin physics: he demonstrated on-chip photon-phonon memory (coherently transferring an optical pulse into a long-lived acoustic excitation and back), and works on distributed Brillouin sensing in optical fibre and on the coherent control of travelling acoustic waves in waveguides. The distributed-sensing thread is a practical, sensitivity-limited measurement problem: recovering strain and temperature along kilometres of fibre from a very weak backscattered signal. Positioned against the established body of NV-ensemble quantum sensing work — DEER, nanoscale NMR and T1 relaxometry protocols operating at pT/sqrt(Hz) field sensitivity — phonon-mediated storage and readout is a complementary transduction channel to spin-based sensing, and the group is now pushing toward the quantum regime where the acoustic mode must be treated as a quantum object rather than a classical one. Early-career PI (DECRA) with genuine independence inside a large group.

Leonardo Midolo develops III-V optoelectronic quantum devices at NBI. Research: (1) nanomechanical quantum photonic integrated circuits (NOEMS) — GaAs waveguide phase shifters, routers, and switches for single-photon routing; (2) heterogeneous integration of quantum dot emitters on silicon and SiN platforms; (3) quantum key distribution with deterministic single-photon sources over field-installed dark fibre. Group established 2022; Beamfox spinout for proximity correction.

Ruth Oulton's group works on quantum photonics using solid-state single-photon emitters. Research: (1) semiconductor quantum dot single-photon sources — cavity-enhanced emission, photonic crystal integration; (2) hBN defect spin-photon interfaces; (3) integrated quantum photonics for sensing and quantum networks. The group focuses on device-quality semiconductor photonic systems for quantum information and sensing applications.

Stefano Paesani works on photonic quantum information processing and quantum sensing. Research: (1) silicon quantum photonic integrated circuits for quantum computing and measurement; (2) boson sampling and quantum advantage with photons; (3) quantum sensing using photonic cluster states. Recently joined Lodahl group at NBI as associate professor.

Alberto Politi's Quantum nanoPhotonics Lab develops photonic quantum technology platforms for quantum information and sensing. Research: (1) integrated quantum photonic circuits in silicon, glass, and diamond; (2) quantum simulation with integrated photonics; (3) single-photon sources coupled to nanophotonic waveguides (including hBN defect emitters). Part of UK Quantum Technology Hubs.

Giulia Rubino's research bridges quantum foundations and quantum technologies using integrated photonics. Research: (1) indefinite causal order — experimental demonstration of quantum switch using photonic chips; (2) quantum thermodynamics — fundamental limits of thermodynamic work extraction in quantum systems; (3) quantum information processing with photonic integrated circuits. Appointed Lecturer January 2024.

Pascale Senellart's group at C2N develops the world's most efficient and bright quantum dot single-photon sources. Research: (1) high-efficiency single-photon emitters based on semiconductor quantum dots in micropillar cavities — up to 99% efficiency, >98% photon purity; (2) entangled photon pair sources; (3) photonic integrated circuits for quantum information and sensing. Coordinator of Quantum-Saclay ecosystem; co-founder of Quandela (quantum photonics spinoff). Key for quantum sensing with non-classical light.

Tim Taminiau (QuTech team leader, Assoc Prof) develops NV-center quantum registers for sensing and quantum networks. Research: (1) NV-center nuclear spin registers — quantum control of up to 50 coupled 13C nuclear spins; (2) nanoscale NMR sensing — mapping external spin networks with sub-nm resolution; (3) silicon-carbide spin qubits — VSi centres for scalable quantum networks with fast entanglement rates; (4) quantum error correction in multi-spin diamond registers. NWO Vici Grant 2026. Quadrupolar nuclear spin spectroscopy of individual nuclei (Nano Letters 2024). Key for sensing proteins at nanoscale.

Ying Wang (assistant professor in Quantum Optoelectronic Devices group) researches GaAs-based integrated photonics for quantum applications: electro-optical quantum dot devices, GaAs-on-insulator waveguide integration, and chip-scale quantum photonics for sensing and QKD.

Andrew Young's group develops solid-state quantum photonic systems, focusing on deterministic single photon emitters and spin-photon interfaces. Research: (1) quantum dot and colour-centre emitters coupled to cavities and waveguides for near-unity efficiency; (2) spin-photon interfaces for quantum repeaters; (3) cavity quantum electrodynamics for quantum networking. Part of Quantum Communications Hub.