Bill O'Neill

Professor Bill O'Neill is a Fellow in Engineering at Downing College and holds the Professor of Laser Engineering position at the University of Cambridge. He leads the Centre of Industrial Photonics and focuses on cutting-edge laser-based manufacturing technologies.

• BSc (Essex)
• MSc (Essex)
• MA
• PhD (Imperial)

His research spans high-power laser applications in materials processing, including aerospace alloys, medical alloys, ceramics, and polymers. He investigates ultra-short laser-matter interactions (femtosecond pulses) for thermal-free machining and nanofabrication techniques aimed at developing personal factory systems. Key projects include electron backscattered diffraction analysis (EBSD) validation of material responses and £10M UK research council-funded innovations.

Publications highlight advancements in laser microstructuring, x-ray collimation, and cold gas dynamic spray technologies. His work trends toward precision manufacturing, materials science, and photonics applications.

As head of the Centre of Industrial Photonics, O'Neill's team explores nanoparticle manipulation for on-demand fabrication of complex products, envisioning a future where desktop printers create micro/nano devices.