Dr Jessica Boland is a Senior Lecturer of Functional Materials and Devices in the Department of Materials in the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Manchester. She is a member of the Photonic Materials and Devices Group in the Photon Science Institute and her research is directly aligned with the  Henry Royce Institute, where she is the Research Area Theme lead for Atoms to Devices at Manchester. Her current research focuses on combining ultrafast optical-pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy with scanning near-field optical microscopy. With this aim, she has established and directs the CUSTOM facility at Manchester (Cryogenic Ultrafast Scattering-type Terahertz-probe Optical-pump Microscopy (CUSTOM) - Henry Royce Institute) . This facility provides a unique tool for examining the ultrafast carrier dynamics of III-V nanostructures, 2D materials and topolocial insulators with femtosecond temporal resolution, nanometre spatial resolution and surface-sensitivity. 

Jessica's research focuses on non-destructive optoelectronic characterisation of low-dimensional materials for device applications. Key interests include:

• Macroscale to nanoscale optoelectronic characterisation of nanomaterials
• Nanoscale mapping of electrical conductivity in advanced functional materials
• Semiconductor nanomaterials for device applications (e.g. photovoltaic, photodetector, photon emitters)
• Topological materials for quantum applications (e.g. quantum communication)
• Terahertz devices (sources and detectors)
• Ultrafast terahertz time-domain spectroscopy
• Ultrafast optical-pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy
• Scattering-type near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) 

• 2024- present - Senior Lecturer in Functional Materials and Devices,  Department of Materials, University of Manchester
• 2021-2024 - Senior Lecturer in Functional Materials and Devices, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Manchester
• 2018-2021 Lecturer in Functional Materials and Devices, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Manchester
• 2016-2017: University College Lecturer, University of Oxford
• 2016-2017: EPSRC Doctoral Prize Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Oxford
• 2013-2017: DPhil in Condensed Matter Physics, University of Oxford
• 2011-2012: Hardware Engineer Internship at Hewlett Packard Labs, Bristol
• 2009-2013: MPhys with Professional Experience, University of Exeter

Prizes and Awards

• 2024    National Physics Laboratory - Daphne Jackson Prize for Physics
• 2023   Student Union Award for Accessiblity Teaching Practise
• 2022    IRMMW-THz Zhenyi Wang award for Excellence in IRMMW-THz science
• 2021    Disability Power 100 List (EDI)
• 2020    Better World Showcase Award (EDI)
• 2020    UKRI Future Leader Fellowship
• 2019    University of Manchester Making a Difference Award
• 2019   Philip Leverhulme Prize
• 2019    British Science Association Isambard Kingdom Brunel Award Lecture
• 2018    Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship
• 2017    Institute of Physics Jocelyn Bell Burnell Medal and Prize
• 2016    EPSRC Doctoral Prize
• 2016    Rank Prize Fund Student Award
• 2016    MRS Student Award

• Member of the Institute of Physics
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy