Nikita Daga Photonics, 2011

The working and practical knowledge I got at the ORC has been invaluable to me as a laser development engineer. Every day I use the skills I gained during my PhD in Southampton.

It was my prospective PhD supervisor at UNSW who encouraged me to take up the offer at Southampton due to its unparalleled reputation in the field. The environment and culture at the ORC was better than I could ever have hoped.

After completing my masters in Australia, I had an offer to do my PhD at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) as well as at the ORC. It was my prospective PhD supervisor at UNSW who encouraged me to take up the offer at Southampton due to its unparalleled reputation in the field. The environment and culture at the ORC was better than I could ever have hoped.

After finishing my PhD I got a job at SPI Lasers and within a couple of months was appointed lead engineer responsible for process and amplifier development for pulsed lasers. My job motivates me. It is satisfying to see a product move quickly from a concept in your head, to lab trials, to actually being used by customers around the world.