Rupert Oulton

Professor Rupert Oulton is a Professor of Nanophotonics in the Department of Physics at Imperial College London's Faculty of Natural Sciences. He leads research in nanophotonics, plasmonics, and quantum imaging, with affiliations across several research centers including the Centre for Plasmonics and Metamaterials, Centre for Processable Electronics, Experimental Solid State Physics Group, Physics Permanent Researchers, Quantum Engineering, Science and Technology, and The Matter Community.

Professor Oulton's educational background includes a PhD in Physics from Imperial College London under Prof. Gareth Parry FREng, an MSci from Imperial College London, and a PGCert in Educational Development. His career progression at Imperial College London has been from Leverhulme Lecturer (2010-2017) to Reader (2017-2020) and finally to Professor of Nanophotonics (2020-present).

Professor Oulton's research focuses on overcoming the diffraction limit of light through plasmonics and nanophotonics. His work spans several key areas:

• Semiconductor Plasmonics - Exploiting plasmonic effects in silicon and III-V semiconductors for faster optical communications
• Bose-Einstein Condensates of Light - Developing semiconductor photon BECs for quantum applications
• Non-linear Optical Metamaterials - Engineering artificial materials for strong optical non-linearity
• Quantum Imaging - Developing methods for imaging with undetected photons
• Plasmon Lasers - Creating lasers that focus optical energy in both time and space

Analysis of Professor Oulton's recent publications shows a strong focus on quantum imaging with undetected photons, plasmonic enhancement of light-matter interactions, and Bose-Einstein condensation of light. His work bridges fundamental physics with practical applications in sensing, communications, and quantum technologies.

Professor Oulton has received significant recognition for his work, including:

• APS Beller Lectureship (2012)
• EPSRC Career Acceleration Fellowship (2010-2015)

Professor Oulton actively supervises PhD students and has secured multiple grants to support his research, including funding from the UK's quantum imaging hub (until Nov 2024), the Reactive Plasmonics Grant (until Jul 2021), and an EPSRC grant for 'Robust manufacturable antimicrobial surfaces enabled by superhard plasmon-enhanced photocatalytic materials' (2022-2025). He collaborates internationally with institutions including UC Berkeley, King's College London, and various European universities.

Professor Oulton's laboratory focuses on experimental nanophotonics, plasmonics, and quantum optics research. His team investigates how to squeeze light into extremely small regions to enhance light-matter interactions, with applications ranging from quantum imaging to advanced optical communications.