meLAB News
August 2026
Early Impact Award for PQA prototype development
meLAB’s Dr Carlos Garcia Nuñez has secured a £50,000 Photonics & Quantum Accelerator (PQA) Early Impact Award to translate bioinspired antireflection technology into a prototype for advanced mid-infrared sensing.
The six-month BIO-MIRAR project, led by Senior Lecturer Dr Garcia Nuñez and Professor Douglas J Paul (Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies, also based at James Watt School of Engineering) will develop microscopic “moth-eye” structures directly on silicon. Inspired by the surface of a moth’s eye, these nanostructures are designed to reduce optical reflection and improve the transmission of mid-infrared light without relying on conventional multilayer coatings.,
The project team will use the world-class fabrication and characterisation facilities of the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre (JWNC) to manufacture and test the prototype. The project builds on existing research and industrial collaboration with Helia Photonics Ltd and Kelvin Nanotechnology Ltd (KNT), which are providing valuable technical expertise and in-kind support.
By improving optical throughput and signal coupling, the technology could enable more sensitive mid-infrared and quantum sensing platforms. Potential longer-term applications include the detection of biomarkers and environmental contaminants, supporting advances in healthcare, water-quality monitoring, agri-food technologies and chemical analysis.
The project will bridge the gap between laboratory modelling and a validated prototype, generating the technical and commercial evidence required for future industrial translation.
Visit to ANALOGUE facility by EPSRC Manager
Research Technologist Dr João Valente and ANALOGUE Project Manager Dr Yalagala Bhavani Prasad were delighted to show Dr Tabea Gerlach, EPSRC ICT Portfolio Manager for Photonics around ‘ANALOGUE’ – our best-in-class semiconductor packaging suite, at James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, last Friday. The facility is supported by a £3M EPSRC strategic equipment grant. (See: https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/analogue)
On display were its state-of-the-art range of devices, covering the mid-end and back-end of the semiconductor packaging, test and metrology production line. These include: a Dragon Fly 3D printer (Nanodimension), a High-Resolution Inkjet Printer (XTPL), Super Injket Printer (SIJ), Semi-Automatic Screen Printer (aural), the Brinter One Bioprinter, the Finetech Femto2 (Automated Die Bonder), and the marvellously named Disco Dicer DAD 3350. Currently, the equipment is distributed across campus locations, including within the University of Glasgow Advanced Research Centre, and meLAB’s laboratories. In 2028, it is set to be moved wholescale into the high-performance ‘Keystone Building’, a £300 million part of UofG’s ambitious Campus Development Programme.
Dr Gerlach’s visit also included a tour of the world-leading James Watt Nanofabrication Centre (sitting at the front-end of the production line). The tour was led by Dr Kevin Gallacher and Dr Ross Millar. Productive discussions with Prof. Douglas J Paul concerned both JWNC and its £100 million expansion, the Critical Technologies Nanofabrication Facility (CTNF). The CTNF is designed to scale up sovereign UK capabilities in critical sectors: semiconductors, quantum, and photonics. In lock-step with those aims, ANALOGUE will drive innovation and expansion in next-gen semiconductor devices and sustainable electronics manufacturing though its fully automated facility.
An exciting future and renewed and new partnerships beckon, beneficial to a wide variety of stakeholders. Dr Gerlach was very impressed with what EPSRC’s support has helped us achieve so far, and with ANALOGUE’s bold future vision.
April 2026
Dr Roghaeih Parvizi visits major industry conference at Birmingham NEC
Last week, meLAB Lecturer Dr. Roghaieh Parvizi attended MACH 2026, the UK’s largest exhibition of cutting-edge manufacturing technologies, at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC). She attended over 3 days to meet professionals working in diverse areas of the manufacturing industry, networking and conducting informal market research relevant to her innovative R&D work on additive manufacturing processes.
The conference is owned by The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA), a not-for-profit organisation that works to “promote the interests and be the voice of the engineering-based manufacturing technologies sector in the UK.” As they state boldly, differentiating themselves, “we are not driven by returning short term profit to financial stakeholders: the MTA’s goals with MACH are different. Being owned by the industry, for the benefit of the industry, our primary aim is to help and support the sector we represent to do business, boosting the UK’s manufacturing performance and enabling UK PLC to compete at a global level.”
Exhibitors included 3D Print UK, ABB Robotics, Create Education, Engineering Supply Chain UK, Peak Technologies, Harper Adams University, DUET automation, and the University of Wolverhampton.
Such events and networking opportunities are vital when seeking to take your work beyond the lab and beyond academia, to ensure real world value and applicability, especially when seeking a potential place in the supply chain and a customer base.
Dr. Parvizi discussed potential collaborations with Alan Williamson, Business Development Manager at Peak Technologies, who focus on AI enabled tools to help automate and optimise all stages of the supply chain. There may be synergies in additive manufacturing advancements between the company and the MeLab group.
She reflected:
“What an inspiring and energising experience at the exhibition! The conversations were candid and grounded. I connected with engineers, product managers, founders, and distributors, mostly from industry, spanning large manufacturers to nimble niche companies, all offering honest, thoughtful perspectives. The larger firms gave high-level insights of the market and landscape, while smaller companies were refreshingly open about their roadmaps
and how our work could align with theirs.”
Summer School 2026: Emerging Quantum Technologies
Early bird tickets on sale until 10th June. General sale ends 15th June
Join us for the second edition of this very successful Summer School on Emerging Quantum Technologies: designed for researchers and industry professionals at all career stages, this Summer School offers a unique opportunity to learn from leading experts, participate in interactive workshops and engaging activities, and network with peers from academia and industry.
GET YOUR TICKETS!
Summer School 2026: Emerging Quantum Technologies Tickets, Thursday, June 25-Friday, June 26 • 9 AM-5 PM | Eventbrite
See more about the event and its partners:
April 2026
ANALOGUE and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce work together to encourge growth
Recently, meLAB was pleased to welcome students from Glasgow’s Bannerman High School and visitors including Dr Elena Kniazeva from Technology Scotland*, and Eve Holmes (GROW Project Coordinator) , to tour our ANALOGUE facility and see its myriad equipment up close.
This was part of a valuable and thoughtful programme run by the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, targeting pupils engaged in education but facing economic and social ‘disadvantages’, showing them potential career paths and routes into industry, working alongside over 100 local companies and with investment from JPMorgan Chase.
ANALOGUE, which nicely dovetails with such ambitions, aims to become a vital part of a growing regional economy. A state-of-the-art facility offering a fully automated semiconductor processing platform, from devices to applications, it employs integrated workflow design, data collection, and real-time analytics to promote sustainable manufacturing practices, providing the UK’s research community remote access to cutting-edge semiconductor technologies; ensuring resilience against global supply chain disruptions.
The visit provided students with an introduction to semiconductors, chip packaging, wafers, PCB design, and device testing. Through interactive discussions, live demonstrations, and lab tours, they explored topics including wire bonding, wafer processing, and advanced prototyping technologies.
Thank you to everyone involved in supporting the visit and delivering the sessions, including Research Managers Dr Kathleen Menzies and Dr Bhavani Yalagala, Research Technologist Dr João Valente, technicans Dr Hossein Parvizi and Kyle Stirling. It was great to see such enthusiasm and engagement from both the students and visitors throughout the day. We hope the experience encouraged interest in engineering, semiconductors, and future careers in critical technologies an hope to host future visits organised by Eve and the GROW team. Thank you for coming to see us!
*Dr Knivazeva (pictured above with ANOLOGUE Research Manager Dr Bhavani Yalagala) is Senior Programme Manager for Critical Technologies within Technology Scotland’s ‘Critical Technologies Supercluster’, an initiative developed in partnership with Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, University of Glasgow and University of Strathclyde
June 2026
Photonics & Quantum Student Club Launches
An exciting new club for students interested in photonics and quantum technologies launched on 20th April, at the James Watt School of Engineering.
Funded by the UofG Chancellor’s Fund (2024-26) and run by 3 JWSE PhD students based in meLAB, the ‘Photonic and Quantum Student Club’ will provide a learning space for the design and construction of advanced scientific kits to produce prototype experiments. In this club, students will work hands-on with electronics, CAD design, and 3D printing to build functional circuits and custom components for real experiments. Using 3D printing, they can create modular, LEGO-like optical instruments and experimental setups for exploring optics and photonics.
Together, members will investigate fascinating topics such as light–matter interaction and quantum entanglement, giving them the opportunity to explore fundamental ideas in photonics and quantum physics through practical, creative projects.
At the launch, a fantastic mixture of students from different disciplines, backgrounds, and years of study within the School, visibly enjoyed connecting, making new friends, and learning about not only the kit, but the research going on at meLAB, in JWSE, and the insights of some of our most dynamic PhD students.
Each founding member is a current UofG PhD student working at the cutting-edge of what is possible in EEE research, under the supervision of Dr Carlos Garcia Nuñez. Leading subgroups and serving as informal mentors, they will make themselves available to guide and discuss project work. Michael McKinlay will work with those most interested in ‘Photonics and Quantum’. Kirstin Saunders specialises in ‘Optics and Optoelectronics’. Patrick Millar will handle ‘CAD, Modelling, and Programming’ enthusiasts. Members are however free to explore as many of these as they would like, and to ‘cross-pollinate’.
Primarily, the club’s aim is to enable like-minded UoG students to come together informally and expand their knowledge through practical experiments, developing skills that are increasingly valuable and in demand to solve global challenges via (for example) transformative healthcare, enhanced security and communications, and industrial efficiency and sustainability. A secondary aim is involvement with the ‘wider community’ and encouraging early enthusiasm via education. The final kits assembled are intended for use not only by club members, but also by pupils in local high schools and at public outreach and engagement events. It is hoped that club members will visit local schools to demo the kits and promote STEM subjects while giving pupils access to experiment projects working with coding and programming, modelling and design, optical and electronics components, photonics and quantum fields.
Founding member and Club President Kirstin Saunders said: “I am absolutely thrilled we have support from the Chancellor’s Fund to set up what I hope will be a really popular new student club. We are also in the final stages of affiliation with the Students’ Representative Council, to help ensure everything is well run and well managed for our members.”
Project work and skills sessions will take place under supervision, in collaborative, informal laboratory spaces on campus. Membership is open to ALL registered students at the University of Glasgow. Staff are welcome to join as associate members, and offers of help are always welcome from those with relevant expertise or experience.
For more information on the club and how to join, please email: eng-pqstudentclub@glasgow.ac.uk