Education
Padgett was educated at the University of Manchester, the University of York, the University of Street Andrews and Trinity College, Cambridge where he was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in 1988.
Padgett was educated at the University of Manchester, the University of York, the University of Street Andrews and Trinity College, Cambridge where he was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in 1988.
He has held the Kelvin Chair of Natural Philosophy since 2011 and has been Vice Principal for at Glasgow since 2014. The research group he leads is best known for its work on the fundamental properties of light"s angular momentum, including optical tweezers and optical spanners, the use of orbital angular momentum states to extend the alphabet of optical communication (with both classical and quantum light), and demonstrations of an angular form of the EPR paradox. Padgett"s research has been published in leading peer reviewed scientific journals including Science, Nature Physical Review Letters, and Optics Express and Progress in Optics.
Padgett"s research has been funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Council (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council).
Padgett was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) in 2001, in 2011 he was elected to fellowship of the Optical Society and in 2012 to fellowship of International Society for Optical Engineering. In 2014 he was elected to fellowship of the Royal Society of London - the United Kingdom"s national academy. His nomination for the Royal Society reads: In 2009, with Les Allen, he won the Institute of Physics" Young Medal and in 2014 the Royal Society of Edinburgh"s Kelvin Meda In 2015 he won the Science of Light Prize from the European Physical Society.
Royal Society.