BBQ Lab

We’re proud to celebrate Dr Suraj Goel, who recently presented his research at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom as a finalist in the Physics category of STEM for BRITAIN 2025.

Held on the Portcullis UK Parliament House, this prestigious annual competition highlights the outstanding work of early-career researchers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Organised by the All-Party Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, it gives members of Parliament a valuable opportunity to engage with the next generation of UK researchers.

Dr Goel’s participation is a fantastic achievement and a reflection of the exciting, high-impact research being carried out within our community. Congratulations again, Suraj!

A rare sight of Suraj in a suit

To learn more about the competition, visit: www.stemforbritain.org.uk

Let’s give a warm (Scottish) summer welcome to Eli Mayes, our new visiting student! Originally from Rome, Georgia, U.S.A., he is currently an undergraduate at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. He is in the final years of his Physics degree and is a fanatic of art, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree with a minor in Studio Art.

During his time at Colgate, he has worked on the utilization of Poincaré beams for free-space communications and gravitational lensing. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, playing video games, and Magic: The Gathering.

Welcome Eli!

In May, Dr. Natalia Herrera Valencia had the chance to give a talk in Bogotá — their hometown — as part of “100 años de la cuántica: un legado que construye futuro”, an event hosted by Universidad de Los Andes to celebrate a century of quantum science.

It was a special one. Not just because of the topic — quantum technologies and how they’re already shaping our present and future — but because it was Natalia’s first-ever physics talk in Spanish.

The event brought together researchers from all over Colombia and beyond, with talks and a panel exploring the science, history, and philosophy of quantum mechanics. Speakers included folks from Purdue, Universidad Nacional, Universidad de Antioquia, Jorge Tadeo Lozano, and Antonio Nariño.

🎥 You can catch the full recording here:
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwf3c4J6DUY

We are thrilled to share that the BBQLab presented 5 posters and a talk at the 11th Single Photon Workshop (SPW)—the world’s largest international conference dedicated to single-photon generation, detection technologies, and their applications.

Last winter, after being hosted in various locations around the world, Heriot-Watt University and the University of Glasgow had the honour of organizing this prestigious event in Edinburgh. The conference brought together over 400 delegates from across the globe, representing 43 organizations, for five days of groundbreaking research presentations, insightful discussions, and unparalleled networking opportunities. In this opportunity, the event also came with a uniquely Scottish touch—plenty of bagpipes—and an exciting appearance by the European Quantum Light Tour, which showcased a traveling single-photon source secured in a briefcase.

We are proud to have contributed to this incredible event and look forward to seeing how the ideas exchanged at SPW continue to shape the future of quantum photonics!

We are currently advertising a 4-year PhD studentship and a 4-year CDT studentship.

We are also looking for two Postdoctoral Research Associates to join our group.

If you are interested in joining us, please look at our Openings page for more information. The PhD Studentship and two postdoc positions will be open for applications until January 31st, 2025. The CDT Studentship is open for applications until February 7th, 2025