Two researchers from the University of Strathclyde have each received Royal Society University Fellowships worth more than £1.8 million for their research in nanotechnology and quantum technologies.

Dr Lewis MacKenzie, of Strathclyde’s Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, has been awarded £1.87 million to explore ways in which upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), which have potential applications in cancer treatment, can be made more accessible.

Dr MacKenzie, a Chancellor’s Fellow at Strathclyde, aims to develop an anti-cancer UCNP system capable of targeting drugs to tumours. He will also seek to develop non-invasive sensors for oxygen, for use in biomedical research.

“UCNPs are under-developed, largely owing to a lack of skills for producing them and the cost of doing so. Yet they have great potential, through their ability to convert invisible near-infrared light into more useful ultraviolet, or visible, light,” said Dr MacKenzie.

“We hope to use UCNPs for an anti-cancer system which not only targets tumours but can also be tracked to ensure it has reached the tumours. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy kill healthy cells as well as cancerous cells, and we will aim to create a system which could reduce side effects.”

Meanwhile, Dr Pablo Poggi, from the Department of Physics, has received a grant worth £1.83 million to investigate the development of next-generation quantum technologies through two branches of quantum science – chaos and control.

He will investigate how chaos dynamics can enhance robust control, error mitigation and quantum sensing, as well as how information scrambling can be manipulated to make quantum algorithms more resistant to imperfections, referred to in physics as ‘noise.’ 

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“I am incredibly honoured to receive this Royal Society Fellowship. It represents a transformative opportunity to pursue ambitious, long-term research that bridges fundamental quantum mechanics with practical quantum technologies,” said Dr Poggi.

“This award gives us the opportunity to explore some of the most exciting frontiers in quantum science. By bringing together the theories of chaos and control, we aim to open new pathways to more powerful, reliable and practical quantum technologies.”

Using the Royal Society funding, which is designed to support the next generation of research leaders, Dr MacKenzie and Dr Poggi will establish teams of postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers in their fellowships, which will both run for eight years.