Head of Centre - Fraunhofer UK Centre for Applied Photonics (602842)

Salary range: Salary commensurate with experience and standing

FTE: 1.0

Term: Open

Closing date: 10/05/2024

Applications are invited for the position of Head of the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics (Fraunhofer CAP, a research centre of Fraunhofer UK Research Ltd), Glasgow, following the announcement that Professor Martin Dawson FRS, the inaugural holder of the post, will step down from this role on 31st December 2024 after over 12 years of service. The successful candidate will hold this full-time appointment as a Professor of Practice in the University of Strathclyde’s Institute of Photonics, the academic interface for Fraunhofer CAP, devoting an average of 0.8 FTE to directing Fraunhofer CAP and 0.2 FTE to University responsibilities that develop and promote a dynamic and mutually beneficial interface between the University and Fraunhofer CAP.

The Institute of Photonics (IoP) is an applied research unit that is part of the Department of Physics and was formed in 1995 as a partnership between the University of Strathclyde, industry and government. We have expertise across many disciplines, with core capabilities in Advanced Lasers, Photonic Materials & Devices, Neurophotonics, Heterogeneous & Complex Photonic Integration, Optical Wireless Communications, and Neuromorphic Photonics. We are delivering in key applications areas including Quantum Technology, Sensing (medical, environmental, metrology), Neural Processing, Communications, Computing, and AI. Our research activities are strategically focussed to ensure academic excellence is combined with strong industrial engagement, with a primary mechanism being our interface with Fraunhofer CAP.

Fraunhofer CAP, co-located with the IoP in the University’s Technology and Innovation Centre, is the UK’s first and only Fraunhofer research centre, these prestigious research centres comprising the ‘top tier’ of Fraunhofer’s international engagement. Fraunhofer CAP operates under Fraunhofer UK Research Ltd, a not-for-profit UK company limited by guarantee, located in Glasgow. Fraunhofer UK Research Ltd with its research centre Fraunhofer CAP is a legally independent affiliate of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, based in Germany, the world’s leading applied research organization. Prioritizing key future-relevant technologies and commercializing its findings in business and industry, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft plays a major role in the innovation process. As a trailblazer and trendsetter in innovative developments and research excellence, it tries to turn pioneering ideas into innovative technologies and thereby to strengthen the German and European economies.

Fraunhofer UK Research Ltd with its research centre Fraunhofer CAP was established in 2012 to provide deep technology professional R&D services to industry by following the principles, operating model and branding of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft. It employs its own staff, the majority of whom are scientists or engineers trained to PhD/EngD level, and it has its own well-equipped laboratories and workshops; extensive design and modelling software; and electronics, mechanical and design engineering support. Fraunhofer CAP concentrates on mid-technology readiness level (TRL) prototyping and proof of principle work and it does not sell or manufacture products; rather it undertakes strategic and collaborative work aimed at enabling business to develop new products, processes and capabilities. Fraunhofer CAP adheres to the distinctive ‘Fraunhofer funding model’ under which two thirds of the annual turnover must be generated by competitively won external contracts (either direct with industry or through industry-government co-funded programmes), with one third provided by public funds for strategic purposes.

Fraunhofer CAP has been highly successful and has grown progressively under the Fraunhofer model to currently over 70 staff and PhD/EngD students (the latter registered at the University of Strathclyde and several other universities). It is prominent in the UK’s National Quantum Technology Programme and it has broad photonics-based activities in areas including quantum, stand-off chemical and environmental sensing, and LIDAR and asset monitoring for net zero and the energy industry. Fraunhofer CAP has been recognised as a UK asset in, for example, the 2023 National Quantum Strategy and 2023 National Semiconductor Strategy. To date it has won over 250 projects with over 150 distinct industrial partners, covering the full range from small to medium enterprises to major national companies and multi-national corporations; it now has an annual turnover of around £7M.

Appointed at the level of Professor in Strathclyde’s Knowledge Exchange (KE) career path, you will provide scientific, technical and strategic leadership to Fraunhofer CAP, positioning and developing the organisation to support industry, particularly in the UK. You will liaise with stakeholders in the UK and Germany, and foster broad national and international linkages. You will provide the strategic framework for, and facilitate, support and oversee to successful completion, the wide and growing portfolio of R&D contracts held by Fraunhofer CAP. You will contribute to the fore sighting and strategic planning of research and infrastructure investments at the Institute of Photonics, working to develop and advise on joint strategy across the interface with the University, to mutual benefit. Where appropriate, you will lead on the development of R&D projects yourself as a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator. Moreover, you will participate in and develop external networks to foster R&D collaborations, to inform the development of technical/commercial opportunities for the UK and beyond, and to identify potential sources of funding. You will develop knowledge exchange activities by establishing research links with industry and progressing the commercialisation and application of photonics in real-world applications.

To be considered for the role, you will have a PhD in an appropriate discipline (ideally physics or engineering), significant relevant research and technical experience in photonics, aligned with the core expertise of Fraunhofer CAP and/or the Institute of Photonics, and a track record of research publications, conference presentations and generation and filing of intellectual property rights appropriate to your career history. You will have demonstrated an ability to develop research proposals or technology-based commercial contract proposals and to attract research and/or R&D funding, including experience of creating consortia and writing industry-focussed/industry-partnered grant applications. Furthermore, you will have a demonstrated ability to plan, organise and lead research and KE programmes and to ensure successful programme budgeting, delivery, reporting and completion. You will have experience of planning and organising workloads, including the ability to supervise and delegate technical work and you will have a demonstrated ability to work within a team environment, including team leadership. You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to listen, engage and persuade, and to present complex information in an accessible way to a range of audiences, partners, and stakeholders. Experience in the supervision of PhD/EngD students (either as an academic or industrial supervisor) is desirable.

It is anticipated that formal interviews for this post will be held 7th June 2024.

Before applying, prospective applicants are welcome to contact the current Head of Centre, Professor Martin Dawson, if they wish further clarification or discussion on the roles and responsibilities of this post: m.dawson@ strath.ac.uk