Student wins prize for best Undergrad Vacation grant report in Optoelectronics
Optoelectronics
Congratulations to Emma Wilcox who has won the 2025 prize for the best Undergrad Vacation grant student report, as selected by the Rank Prize Optoelectronics Committee. Emma completed her eight-week placement at the University of Southampton under the supervision of Professor Otto Muskens.
Optical techniques able to detect objects hidden deep inside a dense scattering environment are of interest and use in many fields including biomedical physics, navigation (driving through fog and rain) and art restoration (revealing hidden paintings). Over the summer, Emma helped to investigate an optical method for imaging through strongly scattering media, using a Sagnac interferometer to look at symmetries in the way light travels back and forth, the so-called ‘time-reversed memory effect’. Her experiments highlighted the potential of this approach for imaging with possible applications in many areas.
Eight other students completed a project in Optoelectronics in summer 2025 and all their reports were of a high standard.
Working on this project has helped me to realise my strong interest in pursuing further research, which has motivated me to change to a Masters programme in order to continue developing my skills and expertise.”
Emma Wilcox Undergraduate student in Physics, University of Southampton
Feeling inspired?
We are accepting applications for the 2026 round of the Undergrad vacation grant, in both nutrition and optoelectronics, until 16 March 2026.
