PhD Opportunities

PhD Projects

Every year at least one studentship is available for a suitably qualified applicant to join our Group. Early applications for places are strongly encouraged. Details of the projects currently available are given below. For more details of the kind of work carried out by the students in our Group please refer to the PhD current research projects page.

PhD Project Titles - (Note, any funding is only likely to be available for UK nationals)

Nanosculpting antiferromagnets to explore novel electronic transport

PhD opportunity · University of Warwick · Department of Physics · Starting October 2027

Supervisor: Dr Max Birch · Royal Society University Research Fellow

Superconductivity and Magnetism Group · Nanosculpted Quantum Materials

Electronic functionality from unconventional antiferromagnets

Can we sculpt antiferromagnetic materials into devices to reveal new physics and control their emergent behaviour? Antiferromagnets contain ordered magnetic moments that typically cancel one another. However, certain unconventional antiferromagnets exhibit electronic responses associated with broken time-reversal symmetry (TRS) (usually associated with ferromagnets), opening possibilities for new spintronic devices.

This experimental PhD project explores two families of these materials. In noncollinear antiferromagnets [1,2], intricate arrangements of magnetic moments can form magnetic multipole structures, such as octupoles, that activate unexpected behaviour despite a near-zero net magnetisation (Fig. 1a). In altermagnets [3,4], the interplay between antiparallel magnetic spins and their crystal environments produces an electronic spin splitting that changes with direction in momentum space (Fig. 1b). These materials offer opportunities to connect fundamental questions about magnetic symmetry with electronic device functionality.

Figure 1

Sculpting materials into intricate devices

You will use focused ion beam (FIB) fabrication to create intricate microscopic devices directly from furnace-grown crystalline materials (examples in Fig. 1c,d). By designing their geometry, electrodes and mechanical structures, we can probe and influence material behaviour in ways that conventional samples cannot readily accommodate. The project will use this freedom to ask creative experimental questions. Can we realise and electrically probe metastable TRS-breaking antiferromagnetic states? Can we create antiferromagnetic diode responses, where the device resistance depends on current direction? Can mechanical deformation control the antiferromagnetic order and its transport signatures? The specific experiments will develop with the results and your interests, with opportunities to design your own devices and pursue unexpected discoveries.

Training and research environment

You will receive direct training from Dr Max Birch, who specialises in FIB fabrication of quantum-material devices [5-9], and develop expertise in electrical transport measurements, including nonlinear measurements using lock-in amplifiers. You will learn how to turn a new idea into an experiment, uncover the physics behind the results, and use that understanding to control the material’s behaviour. Within Warwick’s Superconductivity and Magnetism Group, you will have access to cryomagnet systems and opportunities to collaborate with crystal growers. The core fabrication and measurement facilities are expected to be ready before you arrive, with opportunities to develop new experimental capabilities as the project progresses. International connections offer potential collaborations in Japan, the USA and Germany, and opportunities to use synchrotron x-ray and neutron facilities where relevant to the project.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for someone who enjoys experimental physics, working with their hands and finding creative solutions to practical problems. Fabricating these devices involves carefully sculpting and assembling microscopic structures inside the focused ion beam instrument with a micromanipulator, rewarding patience and attention to detail. In return, the flexibility of the approach provides extreme freedom to design new devices and experiments, turning imaginative scientific questions into structures you can investigate. You do not need previous focused ion beam experience: specialist training and guidance will be provided.

If you are interested, please contact Dr Max Birch and/or Prof. Geetha Balakrishnan to discuss the project.

Email: maximilian.birch@riken.jpLink opens in a new window · Group information: nanosculpt.github.ioLink opens in a new window · Apply: hereLink opens in a new window

Email: g.balakrishnan@warwick.ac.uk

[1] S. Nakatsuji, et al. Nature 527, 212–215 (2015). DOILink opens in a new window. [2] B. H. Rimmler, B. Pal and S. S. P. Parkin, Nat. Rev. Mater. 10, 109–127 (2025). DOILink opens in a new window. [3] L. Šmejkal, J. Sinova and T. Jungwirth, Phys. Rev. X 12, 040501 (2022). DOILink opens in a new window. [4] C. Song et al., Nat. Rev. Mater. 10, 473–485 (2025). DOILink opens in a new window. [5] M. T. Birch et al., Nat. Commun. 11, 1726 (2020). DOILink opens in a new window. [6] M. T. Birch et al., Nat. Commun. 13, 3630 (2022). DOI. [7] M. T. Birch et al., Nature 633, 554–559 (2024). DOILink opens in a new window. [8] M. T. Birch et al., Nat. Nanotechnol. 21, 352–358 (2026). DOILink opens in a new window. [9] M. T. Birch et al., PRB 114, 094409 (2026). DOILink opens in a new window.

New Concepts of Metals and Insulators Explored Using Anomalous Quantum Oscillations - Supervisor: Paul Goddard - PhD PLACE FILLED

What is a metal?

Surprisingly, the answer to this fundamental question is no longer clear. Physical phenomena that were long thought to define the metallic state have recently been observed in materials that are evidently electric insulators. This emerging situation challenges long-held concepts and could well reshape how we teach basic physics principles. Moreover, the materials in question are believed to host hitherto unidentified quasiparticles that are expected to be important for new technologies that address societal challenges, including novel spintronic devices and fault-tolerant quantum computation.

Quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnets are one class of material in which anomalous quantum oscillations have been reported [3]. (a) The kagome lattice is made up of spins located on triangles and hexagons and are so called after (b) a type of Japanese basket weaving. (c) A 1/9 magnetzation plateau has recently been observed in high-field, low temperature measurements of Y-kappelasite [4]. The inset shows the magnetic field pulses used to take the experimental data. The 1/9 plateau is theoretically predicted but has only been ob- served in one other material in which it is proposed to be the result of a Fermi surface of chargeless Dirac spinons [3].

State of the field.

In school we learn that metals are lustrous, malleable, and ductile. At university, undergraduates learn a deeper truth, that the defining feature of a metal is its Fermi surface, the boundary between filled and empty electron states. This concept underpins a striking phenomenon - quantum oscillations - where properties such as magnetization and resistance oscillate with applied magnetic field at low temperatures. For decades, quantum oscillations have been considered the smoking gun of metallic behaviour. However, recent discoveries contradict this view. A handful of materials, though insulating at low temperatures, exhibit quantum oscillations in very high magnetic fields, implying the presence of a Fermi surface without electrical conduction [1,2]. These results have sparked in- tense debate and a wave of theoretical explanations. Some theories adapt existing models, while others propose radical new ideas, including exotic quasiparticles like Majorana fermions or chargeless spinons. These entities are not only of profound scientific interest but are also seen as key to future quantum technologies. However, consensus on which of the theories are correct remains elusive, partly because so few materials have so far been discovered that display the anomalous quantum oscillations, leaving insufficient data to discriminate between competing models.

This fully funded PhD project aims to resolve this problem.

Working within the Warwick Superconductivity and Magnetism research group, the student will identify and characterize new materials exhibiting anomalous quantum oscillations using in-house equipment. Prior results highlight which research directions to pursue, but success will require training in several interdisciplinary capabilities, including single-crystal growth, structural characterization and expertise in a range of high-magnetic field measurement techniques. Two key collaborating partners will provide support to this project: (1) HFML-FELIX, Nijmegen is the premier dc-magnetic-field facility in Europe providing access to equipment, know-how and magnets delivering steady fields up to 38 tesla. (2). NHMFL-LANL, Los Alamos is the world's leading laboratory for pulsed-magnetic-field measurements, housing unique facilities for measuring materials in fields up to 100 tesla. It is an extremely exciting time to be working in this field. Established ideas are being challenged, bold theories proposed, and fresh experimental evidence is urgently needed. The potential for uncovering new properties of fundamental and functional significance is high.

Prof. Goddard joined Warwick University in 2013 and is expert in the use of high magnetic fields to elucidate the properties of new materials of fundamental and technological significance. In 2023, he was awarded the Pippard Prize by the Superconductivity Group of the Institute of Physics for his developmental work on the technique of angle-dependent magnetoresistance. For further information about the project do not hesitate to contact Paul Goddard directly at p.goddard@warwick.ac.uk

For information on how to apply please see https://warwick.ac.uk/go/physicspgadmissionsLink opens in a new window

[1] Tan et al., Science 349, 287 (2015).

[2] Z. Xiang et al., Science 362, 65 (2018).

[3] Zheng et al., PNAS 122, e2421390122 (2025); PRX 15, 021076 (2025).

[4] Chatterjee, Goddard et al., arXiv:2605.08067 (2026).

Making an Application - How to Apply

Click here for more details of the formal application procedures, the relevant application forms and a postgraduate prospectus. N.B. This information is mounted on the Physics Department web pages outside this Superconductivity and Magnetism site.

MSc Research Projects

We always have places available for suitably qualified self-funded students who would like to work towards an MSc. For more details of the kind of work carried out by the students in our Group please refer to the current postgraduate research projects page.

MSc Project Titles

We do not have any MSc projects currently available. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the supervisor they are interested in working with in the first instance.

Making an Application - How to Apply

Click here for more details of the formal application procedures, the relevant application forms and a postgraduate prospectus. Note, this information is mounted on the Physics Department web pages outside this Superconductivity and Magnetism site.

Useful Links

You may like to view the Warwick University Human Resources OfficeLink opens in a new window web page with a listing of all the jobs that are currently available here at the University.

Current vacancies at universities throughout the U.K. are listed on the jobs.ac.ukLink opens in a new window web site.

PhD projects

Click here to see a more details of the PhD projects available here in the Physics Department at Warwick.

International PhD Funding Opportunities

Warwick offers a number of competitive scholarships for international postgraduate students. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the supervisor they are interested in working with in the first instance.

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