Institute welcomes new academics

The Institute for Compound Semiconductors (ICS) has welcomed three new academics to its growing team this autumn.

Lecturers Dr Daryl Beggs and Dr Sudha Mokkapati, and Senior Process Engineer Dr Connie Pey Fen Eng, joined the Institute last month. Their arrival marks the beginning of a large recruitment drive by the Institute that will extend over the next three years.

Dr Daryl Beggs joins the Institute from the University of Bristol. He anticipates his move will enable him to explore the efficiency of compound semiconductor materials in photonics as an alternative to silicon, which has formed the backbone of his research to date.

“Silicon is a great passive optical material, but a terrible active one”, said Dr Beggs. “We need optical materials that are both passive and active, and compound semiconductors provide us with a whole family of advanced materials in which to go searching.”

Dr Beggs will use layers of compound semiconductors home grown at the Institute to understand how to process them to the same efficiency as silicon.

“What I want to do is recreate everything silicon photonics gives you but in compound semiconductors. The Institute for Compound Semiconductors will give me the opportunity to do that.”

Dr Beggs will begin teaching postgraduate modules in Semiconductor Fabrication and Semiconductor Photonics in January with fellow new lecturer, Dr Sudha Mokkapati.

Dr Mokkapati joins the University following a research fellow position at the Department of Electronic Materials Engineering at the Australian National University.

In Cardiff, Dr Mokkapati’s research will focus on understanding and manipulating the interaction between light and compound semiconductor nanostructures for demonstrating efficient optoelectronic devices.

“I hope to develop nanotechnology-enabled compound semiconductor optoelectronic devices, like solar cells and lasers, using the world-class epitaxy and fabrication facilities available here”, said Dr Mokkapati. “It feels great to be able to contribute to the development of state-of-the-art compound semiconductor technology and to the training of next generation engineers and scientists.”

The Institute also extends its welcome to new Senior Process Engineer, Dr Connie Eng Pey Fen, who comes to Cardiff from Swansea University.

Dr Eng is set to use her experience of collaborating with industry for process optimisation and device manufacturing to work with academics and industry partners at the Institute to develop advanced manufacturing processes.

“I intend to transform research at Cardiff University into commercialized prototyping, to set up a low volume production line for III-V semiconductor-based devices for opto-electronics and electronics applications”, said Dr Eng.

Dr Beggs, Dr Mokkapati and Dr Eng join an established team of academics and researchers at the Institute for Compound Semiconductors. The Institute intends to hire 14 new staff members, from lecturers to Professors, over the next three years. It will also offer up to 15 student and postdoctoral research positions available in a wide variety of topics. For more details, please visit our Vacancies page at the link below.

http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/institute-compound-semiconductors/about-us/vacancies