Meet the Team

Welcome to our research group! We are a small team of researchers, who are all interested in the use of ultrafast spectroscopy and microscopy for optoelectronic characterisation and the application of low-dimensional materials in next-generation devices. Feel free to contact us if you are interested in becoming part of the team or would like to collaborate, we look forward to working with you!

Jessica Louise Boland

Group Leader, Principal Investigator

Dr Jessica Boland is a UKRI Future Leader Fellow and Senior Lecturer of Functional Materials and Devices in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Manchester. She is a member of the Photon Science Institute and Atoms to Devices theme within Henry Royce Institute and is the technical academic lead for the CUSTOM facility (EP/T01914X/1). She obtained an MPhys with Professional Experience from the University of Exeter in 2013, before completing a PhD in Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Oxford in 2017. She then carried out a Humboldt fellowship at the University of Regensburg, Germany, before taking up a lectureship position at the University of Manchester in 2018.

Email me: jessica.boland@manchester.ac.uk

Research profile: https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/jessica.boland.html

Tom Vincent

Postdoctoral Researcher

Dr Tom Vincent is currently a PDRA working on topological materials/2D semimetals and ultrafast microscopy. Before joining the Photon Science Institute he studied at the University of Surrey, Royal Holloway, University of London, and the National Physical Laboratory, where he completed his PhD in nanoscale light-matter interactions in two-dimensional materials.

Email me: tom.vincent@manchester.ac.uk

Research profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-vincent-680300114/

Baset Gholizadeh

Experimental Officer

Dr Baset Gholizadeh is an experimental officer and facility manager for the CUSTOM facility (EP/T01914X/1). He obtained his PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Manchester, where his thesis focused of thermoelectric characterisation of optoelectronic materials.

Email me: Baset.Gholizadeh@manchester.ac.uk

Research profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baset-gholizadeh/

Abdul Mannan

Postdoctoral Researcher

TBC

Email me: abdul.mannan@manchester.ac.uk

Research profile: TBC

Xinyun Liu

PhD Student (Main supervisor)

Xinyun is a PhD student who entered the group in October 2020. She received MSc in Nanomaterials from the University of Manchester before staying in EEE for PhD. She is still in her early research career stage and focuses on optoelectronic characterization of low-dimensional materials via THz and IR spectroscopy and microscopy.
Xinyun is the coolest person in this group. Apart from being a PhD student, she is also an illustrator, a photographer and a guitarist.

She is co-supervised by Prof. Matthew Halsall.

Email me: xinyun.liu-2@manchester.ac.uk

Research profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xinyun-liu-b816b4233/

Dan Johnson

PhD Student (Main supervisor)

Dan Johnson is a PhD student from the EPSRC Compound Semiconductor Fabrication CDT focusing on optoelectronic characterisation of topological materials via terahertz spectroscopy and microscopy. He is co-supervised by Olga Kazakova at NPL and Prof. Huiyun LIu at UCL. Prior to this He completed a BSc in Physics at the University of Hertfordshire and an MSc in Advanced Materials Science at UCL (Following time as a science teacher and a PGCE at Oxford) . His previous MSc project was the characterisation of a novel single crystal transparent conducting oxide candidate using PXRD, XPS, and transport measurements. His current research project focuses on optoelectronic characterisation of topological materials via terahertz spectroscopy and microscopy. He is co-supervised by Olga Kazakova at NPL and Prof. Huiyun LIu at UCL.

“Outside of my research and studies, I enjoy playing snooker, working on my own electronic projects, science communication, and anything outdoors with friends.”

Email me: daniel.johnson-8@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk

Research profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-johnson-0847aa1b1/

Yahya Saboon

PhD Student ( Main supervisor)

Yahya’s research project focuses on terahertz characterisation of nanomaterials and their application in devices. He is co-supervised by Prof. Matthew Halsall.

Yahya is a PhD student who has joined the THz group, recently, in January 2022. As a research member of the team, Yahya’s research area focuses on characterisation of III – V nanowire semiconductors and 3D semimetal materials via terahertz spectroscopy and microscopy.

Prior to joining the terahertz group at the University of Manchester, Yahya has obtained his MSc in Electronics and Electrical Engineering from the University of Glasgow, in 2019. While at Glasgow, Yahya undertook his MSc graduation project titled ‘Integration of Photovoltaic Devices into 3D Printed Object’ under the supervision of Dr Steven Neale. Whereby he studied the trade – off between photovoltaic devices power output and the resulting detriment in mechanical strength of components caused by integration to determine the merit of integration.

Outside the fascinating world of photonics and other relevant PhD research activities, Yahya is also a coffee lover and a football fan. Moreover, I have also developed a habit of programming recently, aiming to polish my skills and broaden my horizons on several computer languages such as Matlab and Python, in my spare time.

Email me: yahya.saboon@manchester.ac.uk

Research profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yahya-saboon-3606599a/