Prof Graham Turnbull
Deputy Head of School
Professor
Research areas
Graham Turnbull’s research combines optical materials and nanophotonics for a range of smart lighting applications that span optical wireless communications, biotechnology, and trace chemical sensing. He has made world-leading contributions to the development of organic semiconductor lasers including the recent advance of an electrically-driven organic laser based on the world’s brightest OLEDs. His group has developed trace chemical sensors for environmental monitoring and for land mine detection, and LED-based lighting for growing algae. Underpinning the device physics and applications are studies of light-matter interactions in organic materials and scalable processing including nanoimprint lithography.
In 2024 Graham Turnbull co-established the Photonics and Quantum Accelerator (PQA), a £5M EPSRC-funded project that brings together Scottish universities, local councils and industry bodies to advance the growth of the photonics sector in Scotland’s Central Belt.
External leadership roles
- Photonics and Quantum Accelerator (St Andrews lead 2024-2029)
- CDT in Applied Photonics (St Andrews co-ordinator 2014-)
- Opening up Photonics (Advisory Board member 2023-)
- St Andrews Physics Trust Fund (Trustee 2015-2024, Chair 2015-2019)
- SUPA - Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (management group 2015-2019)
- SUSSP Scottish Universities Summer Schools in Physics (Trustee 2015-2019)
- IEEE Photonics Society Scottish Chapter (2003-2015, Chair 2010-2015)
University leadership roles
- Head of School of Physics & Astronomy (2015-2019)
- Acting Vice-Principal (Research and Innovation) (2020)
- Research Excellence Board member (2018-)
- Senate Elected Member (2020-2024)
- Director of Postgraduate Studies (P&A) (2011-2015)
PhD supervision
- David Webster
- Aveena Abee Varghese
- Aswin Sasi
- Shiju Prasad
- Michele Duarte Tonet
Selected publications
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Organic semiconductor lasers
Samuel, I. D. W. & Turnbull, G. A., Apr 2007, In: Chemical Reviews. 107, p. 1272-1295 24 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Electrically driven organic laser using integrated OLED pumping
Yoshida, K., Gong, J., Kanibolotsky, A. L., Skabara, P. J., Turnbull, G. & Samuel, I. D. W., 28 Sept 2023, In: Nature. 621, p. 746-752Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
245 MHz bandwidth organic light-emitting diodes used in a gigabit optical wireless data link
Yoshida, K., Manousiadis, P., Bian, R., Chen, Z., Murawski, C., Gather, M. C., Haas, H., Turnbull, G. A. & Samuel, I. D. W., 3 Mar 2020, In: Nature Communications. 11, 7 p., 1171.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Hybrid optoelectronics: A polymer laser pumped by a nitride light-emitting diode
Yang, Y., Turnbull, G. A. & Samuel, I. D. W., 21 Apr 2008, In: Applied Physics Letters. 92, 16, 3 p., 163306.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Preconcentration techniques for trace explosive sensing
Gillanders, R. N., Glackin, J. M. E., Filipi, J., Kezic, N., Samuel, I. D. W. & Turnbull, G. A., Mar 2019, In: Science of the Total Environment. 658, p. 650-658Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Flexible and ultra-lightweight polymer membrane lasers
Karl, M., Glackin, J. M. E., Schubert, M., Kronenberg, N. M., Turnbull, G. A., Samuel, I. D. W. & Gather, M. C., 1 May 2018, In: Nature Communications. 9, 7 p., 1525.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Optically trapped room temperature polariton condensate in an organic semiconductor
Wei, M., Verstraelen, W., Orfanakis, K., Ruseckas, A., Liew, T. C. H., Samuel, I. D. W., Turnbull, G. & Ohadi, H., 23 Nov 2022, In: Nature Communications. 13, 1, 8 p., 7191.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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How to recognize lasing
Samuel, I. D. W., Namdas, E. B. & Turnbull, G. A., Oct 2009, In: Nature Photonics. 3, 10, p. 546-549 4 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review