Jonathan Knight is an optical physicist with an interest in microstructured materials, and in optical fibres and their applications. He is particularly known for the demonstration and study of new forms of optical fibre waveguide, which use unconventional approaches to optical waveguiding and are designed to have characteristics that are unattainable using conventional fibre designs.
His work has led to new fibre-based optical sources (as in the development and commercialization of broadband ‘supercontinuum’ light sources and ‘rod-based’ high-power short-pulse laser systems), and also to useful optical fibres with hollow cores, capable both of delivering powerful ultrashort optical pulses and also of transmitting ultraviolet and mid-infrared light that would be lost in standard fibres. He has a long track record of academic collaboration as well as of pursuing research that might be of interest outside of academia.
The majority of his research has been done at the University of Bath where he has been since 1996. He has received several awards for his work including being co-awarded, in 2018, the Rank Prize for Optoelectronics.
Professional position
- Professor of Physics, Department of Physics, University of Bath
- Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), University of Bath
