Nanoelectronics researcher recognised as 'Future Leader'
Nanoelectronics researcher recognised as 'Future Leader'
Flexible Electronics expert Dr Dimitra Georgiadou from the University of Southampton has been singled out as 'Future Leader' through a prestigious fellowships scheme.
Dr Georgiadou's research will seek to develop a new form of neuromorphic systems, enabling advances in-memory computing and artificial visual memory applications using materials and processes compatible with flexible substrates.
She is one of two Southampton scientists awarded over £1.2m to spend the next four years working on ground-breaking advances through their UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowships.
The UKRI scheme supports talented researchers who will help ensure that the UK continues to be a world leader in research and innovation.
Dr Georgiadou, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Electronics Frontiers in the School of Electronics and Computer Science, says: "Neuromorphic engineering is poised to revolutionise information technologies by developing electronic devices that emulate the biological neural networks. Inspired by the concepts of optogenetics, I aim to fabricate optoelectronic devices, which will resemble actual neural synapses that can stimulate the neurons to fire in response to light.
"In contrast to solely electrical synapses, photoelectric artificial synapses can be spatially confined, reducing the crosstalk and noise, while they enable higher sensitivity and signal propagation speed.
"An emerging application of such platforms is in neuromorphic vision, where light sensors mimic the spatio-temporal nature of human vision, not only by turning light into electrical signals, but also by capturing and sending the useful-only information to the processing unit in an extremely efficient manner."
This could revolutionise real-time tasks such as autonomous locomotion, soft robotics or point-of-care diagnostics.
Dr Patrick Ledingham, a Lecturer in Quantum Light and Matter in the School of Physics and Astronomy, will use his UKRI fellowship to look at the challenges facing the implementation of a quantum internet - a revolution that would tackle issues of identity theft and cyber-attacks.
UKRI Chief Executive, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, says: "I am delighted that UKRI is able to support the next generation of research and innovation leaders through our Future Leaders Fellowship programme.
"The new Fellows will have the support and freedom they need to pursue their research and innovation ideas, delivering new knowledge and understanding and tackling some of the greatest challenges of our time."