Researchers from the University of St. Andrews and the University of York have been awarded more than £5 million ($5.9 million) from the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to research resonant and shaped photonics.

The study will explore new and innovative ways in which we can use light to measure the natural world. Scientists will address major global challenges in antimicrobial resistance and neurodegenerative disease, as well as break through glass ceilings in imaging, measurement and the manipulation of miniscule particles using light.

This research builds on the team’s recent advances in photonics and will exploit novel shapes of laser light and particularly the concept of resonance, the reinforcement that may occur when light interacts with a minute nanostructure.

“This is a strong endorsement of our team’s effort over the last few years in the area of photonics and allows us to address major globally relevant challenges with a host of international partners,” said Professor Kishan Dholakia, principal investigator at the University of St. Andrews.

The team will work closely with clinicians and a number commercial partners to ensure the clinical impact of their work.

“The team brings a unique combination of expertise in photonics that will allow us to fully understand the response of bacteria to antibiotics and to develop a rapid and accurate diagnostic technology,” said Professor Thomas Krauss at the University of York.

The EPSRC is the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences.