Luke Peters

Dr Luke Peters is a Lecturer in Photonics at Loughborough University, where he is part of the newly established Emergent Photonics Research Centre. Previously, he held a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Research Fellowship at the same institution. His research focuses on terahertz (THz) radiation at the intersection of ultrafast photonics, complexity science, and practical telecommunications applications.

Dr Peters received his MPhys in Physics with Nanotechnology from the University of Hull in 2014, followed by a PhD from the University of Sussex where he was awarded the Roger Blin-Stoyle Prize for his doctoral research in terahertz surface phenomena. His undergraduate thesis explored 'Titanium dioxide as an interface layer for organic photovoltaics,' while his doctoral work centered on surface THz phenomena.

As an experimental physicist, Dr Peters investigates how THz radiation can revolutionize future broadband technologies, particularly 6G systems expected around 2030. His SIGNAL project ('Ghost imaging for scattering management in terahertz links') aims to harness THz wave scattering through obstructing media to enhance communications security rather than seeing it as a limitation. This builds on his previous TIMING project work developing novel single-pixel imaging techniques that leverage complexity and nonlinear physics to boost performance in THz imaging applications across biology, medicine, and security sectors.

Dr Peters has received significant recognition:

• Roger Blin-Stoyle Award 2019 for outstanding PhD thesis
• Inclusion in the prestigious Photonics100 list of innovative researchers shaping photonics' future

His research has been supported by the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship and includes patented innovations such as the THink project's terahertz-emitting ink for counterfeit prevention in banknotes and luxury goods, for which he is a named inventor. Prior to Loughborough, he conducted research at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) developing industrial IP for machine learning in bio-imaging.

Within Loughborough's Emergent Photonics Research Centre, Dr Peters collaborates with a multidisciplinary team working at the forefront of emergent photonic properties in complex nonlinear optical systems, contributing to the university's strategic focus on next-generation communication technologies.