PhD Project - Dual Electro-optic comb enabled photoacoustic spectroscopy

Location: RMIT University, Melbourne + hybrid Work arrangement  Duration: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) - 3 to 4 years  A competitive tax-free stipend: ARC Centre of Excellence rate ($41,555 p/a) + $5,000 p/a topup
About the opportunity
RMIT University, in partnership with ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs (COMBS), is offering a fully funded PhD scholarship to contribute to the advancement of optical frequency comb technologies.
The successful candidate will work within a highly collaborative environment alongside COMBS researchers across all career stages and partner institutions. This PhD offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technologies while engaging with real-world industry challenges, supporting candidates in developing skills for diverse career pathways across both academia and industry.
What you’ll gain:

• Opportunities for industry internships
• Opportunity to apply for internal grant schemes
• Supported attendance at COMBS events like the Annual Centre workshop, theme workshops and PhD network events.

This opportunity is open to domestic and international applicants, including Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents, New Zealand citizens, or international applicants eligible to obtain a valid student visa.
COMBS is committed to achieving gender equity and strongly encourages applications from women and women identifying candidates.
The project 
Detecting multiple gas species simultaneously at trace concentrations with wide spectral coverage is critical for environmental monitoring, industrial process control, and non-invasive biomedical diagnostics. 
This project aims to develop a compact sensing platform integrating electro-optic frequency comb technology with photoacoustic detection to enable rapid, broadband, and highly sensitive gas analysis, with practical applications in air quality monitoring, emissions tracking, hydrogen safety, and medical breath analysis. 
The project suits students interested in interdisciplinary research at the interface of photonics, electronics, and sensing, offering hands-on experience with optical instrumentation, signal processing, and translational outcomes with real-world impact. 
Supervisory team
The successful candidate will be supervised by leading researchers from COMBS institutions, including:

• Primary supervisor: Prof Jian Zhen Ou (RMIT University)
• Co-supervisors: Prof Arnan Mitchell (RMIT University)

Candidate requirements 

• Bachelor’s degree (First Class Honours) or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Photonics, Physics, or a related discipline
• Research experience in optics/photonics, spectroscopy, RF/microwave engineering, or signal processing, along with proficiency in experimental techniques and data analysis is desirable
• Meet the RMIT PhD eligibility requirements: https://www.rmit.edu.au/research/research-degrees/how-to-apply 

About COMBS
The Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs (COMBS) brings together seven universities across Australia to advance optical frequency comb technology.
Our centre is driving transformative research across biomedical imaging, communications, precision measurement and astronomy, with the goal of miniaturising optical frequency comb into chips the size of a fingernail.
COMBS is committed to train the next generation of researchers, offering opportunities to work in a collaborative, multi-institutional environment and contribute to real-world impact. 
COMBS values gender equality, equity, diversity, inclusion, and access, and we recognise the importance of intersectionality. We are committed to creating an environment that embraces and harnesses these intersections to do the best science we can. We invite you to join us to become part of the diverse and inclusive COMBS community.
To apply
Please submit your application via our website. Applications submitted via email will not be accepted.
To be considered, applications must:

• Be submitted through the online application portal
• Fill all required fields in the application form

Your application should include:

• A cover letter outlining your interest in the project
• A CV
• A copy of your academic transcript
• Email addresses for two referees

Please note: You may apply for more than one PhD project; however, a separate application must be submitted for each project.
Applications Close: Sunday 14 June 2026