Anna Peacock

Professor Anna C. Peacock is Professor of Photonics at the University of Southampton, where she heads the Nonlinear Semiconductor Photonics group within the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC). She serves as Deputy Lead for OPTO6015 Optical Fibres and Waveguides course and Editor-in-Chief for Optics Communications journal.

Professor Peacock earned her BSc and MSc in Physics from The University of Auckland (New Zealand), followed by a PhD in Nonlinear Fibre Optics at the ORC. Her academic journey includes a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship recognizing her pioneering work on fiberized semiconductor photonic devices.

Her research focuses on developing innovative semiconductor waveguides that bridge conventional on-chip technologies with emerging platforms incorporating semiconductor materials directly into optical fiber cores. This work addresses the critical challenge of integrating semiconductor technologies with global silica fiber infrastructures. Key research areas include nonlinear optics, fiber optics, silicon photonics, and novel photonic materials for applications in telecommunications, sensing, and optical signal processing.

Professor Peacock's recent publications reveal strong trends in silicon core fibers, semiconductor photonic devices, and nonlinear optical applications spanning from fundamental material properties to practical implementations. Her work demonstrates particular expertise in silicon, silicon-germanium, and hybrid material systems across both telecom and mid-infrared wavelengths.

• Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship
• Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng)
• Fellow of the IEEE Photonics Society (FIEEE)
• Fellow of Optica (FOSA)
• Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP)
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Professor Peacock currently supervises multiple PhD students including Kun Zhang, Tuoyang Chen, Ying Mu, and Alexander Meek. Her research has secured substantial funding from EPSRC, the Royal Society, and the United States Air Force, supporting numerous projects including 'Silicon core fibres,' 'Photonic Ultra-high-Q REsonators,' and 'Horizon Europe: PIXEurope.'

As head of the Nonlinear Semiconductor Photonics group, Professor Peacock leads a dynamic research team working at the forefront of integrated photonics and fiber technology. Her group maintains extensive collaborations with international partners and industry to develop next-generation photonic devices with applications spanning telecommunications infrastructure, environmental sensing, and advanced optical signal processing systems.