Miles Padgett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Miles Padgett
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Padgett in 2014
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Miles John Padgett
1 June 1963 |
| Nationality | British |
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| Thesis | Techniques for ultra-high resolution saturation spectroscopy and laser stabilisation in the 10 μm spectral region (1988) |
| Doctoral students | Jacqueline Romero |
Miles John Padgett (born 1 June 1963) is a top scientist who studies Optics at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He is a Royal Society Research Professor. Since 2011, he has held a special position called the Kelvin Chair of Natural Philosophy. From 2014 to 2020, he was also in charge of research at the University of Glasgow.
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Miles Padgett's Education
Miles Padgett went to several universities to study. He attended the University of Manchester and the University of York. He also studied at the University of St Andrews. Later, he went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he earned his PhD in 1988. A PhD is the highest university degree you can get.
Discoveries and Career Highlights
Miles Padgett is famous for his work with something called optical angular momentum. This is a special way that light can twist or spin. He worked with another scientist, Les Allen, on this important discovery. For their work, they won the Young Medal in 2009.
His research team is known for studying how light's angular momentum works. They developed tools like optical tweezers and optical spanners. Optical tweezers use light to hold and move tiny objects, like cells. Optical spanners can even make these tiny objects spin!
Padgett's team also found ways to use this twisting light to send more information. This helps improve how we communicate using light, both with regular light and with quantum light. He has published his findings in major science magazines like Science and Nature. His research has received funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Awards and Special Recognitions
Miles Padgett has received many awards for his amazing work. In 2001, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. This is a group of top experts in Scotland. He also became a Fellow of the Optical Society in 2011. In 2012, he joined the Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) as a Fellow.
In 2014, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honor in the UK for scientists. It means he is one of the best scientists in the country. The Royal Society recognized him for his leadership in optics and optical momentum. They noted his work on optical spanners and using light's angular momentum for communication.
In 2009, he won the Young Medal with Les Allen. In 2014, he received the Lord Kelvin Medal from the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He also won the Science of Light Prize in 2015. In 2017, he got the Max Born Award. Most recently, in 2019, he was awarded the Rumford Medal by the Royal Society. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP).
In 2020, Miles Padgett was given the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This award was for his great contributions to science research and sharing science with others.
Personal Life
Miles Padgett lives in Glasgow. He is married to Heather Reid, and they have a daughter named Jenna.
