Peter Smith is the Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) at the University of Southampton. He has an international reputation in fabrication methods for integrated waveguide photonic devices for communication and sensing. He has 15 years of commercialisation experience through spinouts Stratophase and Covesion.

The research in his group focuses on fabrication of optical devices and their applications in a wide range of topics spanning applied industrial applications of sensors through to fundamental quantum optics. The work is highly collaborative and involves many of the UK's leading groups. The research group concentrates on the development of novel optoelectronic devices for applications in quantum information processing, telecommunications, sensors and laser optics.

Working closely with two University spin-outs (www.stratophase.com and www.covesion.com), the work aims to develop advanced functionality devices by modifying and patterning standard optoelectronic materials. The core technology lies in innovative control of materials using direct UV laser writing for waveguides and Bragg grating inscription, electrical poling technology for the creation of domain inverted ferroelectric materials and the deposition and processing of glass and silicon based materials.

Specific project areas include the development of waveguide circuits for photonic quantum information processing, waveguides for photon sources, integration of detectors on chip, integrated chemical and biological sensors, creation of novel optoelectronic components for future advanced coding scheme networks, and microfluidic channel devices for opto-fluidic science.