Rate My Professor James Gates

Professor James Gates is a Professor of Photonic Engineering at the University of Southampton, where he holds MPhys and PhD degrees. As a Professorial Fellow (Research), he brings over 25 years of experience in photonic engineering, fabrication, and material science. His research specializations include the fabrication of quantum technology and photonic systems, integrated photonics, ultra-precision diamond machining, and non-linear optical devices. Gates leads a team developing proprietary fabrication techniques such as flame hydrolysis glass deposition, air-bearing stabilised laser inscription, and ultra-precision milling. These innovations have applications in drug production monitoring, telecommunications, aviation sensing, and quantum computing. Since 2006, his work in quantum technologies has evolved from low-loss optical waveguide systems for photonic quantum computing to superconducting, ion, and atom trap systems for quantum computing and sensing, addressing key fabrication and manufacturing challenges in the industry.

Gates led early investigations into ultraprecision machining of optical structures at the Optoelectronics Research Centre, establishing a world-class suite of machining technologies for academic and commercial use. He has served as principal investigator on EPSRC-funded projects UPROAR and PURE, and as co-investigator on the EPSRC Hub in Quantum Computing and Simulation and Southampton's CDT in Quantum Technology Engineering, contributing to over £100 million in research grants. His team has earned Highly Commended research group awards in 2017 and the Vice Chancellor's Award in 2012. Gates has co-authored over 100 journal publications, 350 conference submissions, and three patent families. Notable publications include 'Towards fibre-like loss for photonic integration from violet to near-infrared' (Nature, 2026), 'Ultra-precision diamond grinding of vapour cells in silicon for quantum technology' (Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 2026), 'Investigating the stable ductile grinding regime for optical processing using a dicing saw' (Optical Materials Express, 2025), and 'Investigation of SiO₂ cladding application on Ta₂O₅ films for reduction of delamination during dicing' (Electronics Letters, 2025). He supervises projects such as Photonic Ultra-high-Q Resonators and Ultra-Precision Machining for Optical Substrates and Technologies.