Congratulation to PGR Harry Penketh, who recently submitted his thesis titled ‘“Control of white light emission for illumination and imaging”.
Harry discusses his project in more detail, and offers his advice for students at the start of their PhD journey:
“I have submitted my thesis, although perhaps submitted to my thesis would be a more accurate statement.
To shed some light on my delightfully vague thesis title: this project was sponsored by Dyson and therefore large sections of the research conducted remain protected by a non-disclosure agreement. Working around NDAs aside, I appreciate the broader perspective and additional development opportunities this close industry collaboration has produced.
As is no doubt the case with any job (yes, I’m going to call it a job), doing a PhD comes with its own unique rewards and challenges. In a cohort-based PhD programme one hears a good deal of the latter, but less often in my experience do we reflect on the many great perks that come with the job. I feel privileged to have been able to work with my excellent supervisors Jacopo and Bill and to have had those days (usually in a lab with a new toy) where it didn’t feel like work at all.
My honest and possibly controversial advice for (some) new students: don’t work too hard. How many problems will you solve by spending an extra 6 hours staring desperately at a screen that would have just clicked into place with a refreshed set of eyes and a cup of tea? Look after yourself and don’t forget to find enjoyment in the PhD process.
I’m currently enjoying a break from conventional work and getting stuck into some long overdue property renovation. I hope to remain in Exeter in the medium-term at least.
Harry was involved with various outreach activities during his time with the CDT, including co-organising the mini conference Exeter-Bath Knowledge Transfer in October 2019 with fellow CDT PGRs Iago Rodriguez Diez and Ben Hogan, and students from the Centre for Photonics and Photonic Materials (CPPM) at University of Bath.
Harry has co-authored the following publications:
2019
- October 2019– Penketh H, Bertolotti J, Barnes WL, “Optimal position of an emitter in a wavelength-scale parabolic reflector”, OSA Applied Optics, Vol. 58, No. 29, 7957-7961
Harry has presented at the following conferences and workshops:
- Harry Penketh, poster presentation (on the topic of emitters in wavelength scale reflectors) at Dyson CDT industry visit, Malmesbury, England, 1st November 2017
- Harry Penketh, poster presentation (on the topic of emitters in wavelength scale reflectors) at Complex Nanophotonics Science Camp 2017, Windsor, England, 25th July 2017