National Physical Laboratory

  • Science + Technology
  • Commercial Services
  • Educate + Explore
  • NMS Learning Zone
  • Measurement Network
Quantum Photonics Science & Technology

Excellent science forms the core part of NPL’s strategy and underpins all other activities. It is the foundation on which NPL operates and always will be the priority – driving innovation, supporting industry and improving quality of life, both for the UK and internationally.


Latest science stories

  • Jonathan Williams has been awarded the Callendar Medal by the Institute of Measurement and Control for his recent PhD work that relates to the realisation of quantum standards for electrical metrology and their role in the SI.
  • Ian Gilmore who has been elected to the Board of Directors of the AVS, a major science and technology society in the United States with a focus on new materials, nanotechnologies, biointerfaces and advanced manufacturing processes.
  • The NPL DIAL facility recently helped the Dutch Environmental Protection Agency detect benzene leaks in the Port of Rotterdam and was featured on the Dutch news.
  • A paper entitled 'PST Thin Films for Electrocaloric Coolers' was published in the Journal of Physics D by member of the Nano Multifunctional team. Electrocaloric thin films are particularly interesting for use in IC thermal management, as they are more efficient than the existent thermoelectric-based technologies.
  • NPL provided a guest editors and authors, or co-authors, for six of the nine papers accepted in a special edition of Metrologia on Neutron Metrology. This special issue will form a single reference document for this metrology area for years to come.
  • The Quantum Detection group has published a paper, 'Pound-locking for characterization of superconducting microresonators', in the latest issue of Review of Scientific Instruments, showing how an adaptation of the technique known as 'pound-locking' can be used to interrogate superconducting microresonators.

Latest science posters from NPL

Ever since opening in 1900, NPL has strived to deliver the highest social and economic impact through world-class measurement science, innovative applied research and knowledge services.

NPL maintains a wide portfolio of internationally visible research programmes that advance measurement science, underpin the SI system of measurement units and support various cross-disciplinary technologies.

Outstanding people

Over 500 scientists are employed across almost every discipline, from physicists to biochemists, and mathematicians to materials scientists. These passionate people deliver solutions to a wide range of problems for government, industry and other organisations, often well beyond the scope of measurement science.

World-class facilities

Research activities are housed in a state-of-the-art building providing 36,000 m² of custom-designed laboratories and support facilities. This enables the highest precision measurements to be realised, many of which exploit effects at the atomic level.

Collaboration

Collaboration is fundamental to much of NPL’s research and scientists work with UK and international universities, as well as with other National Measurement Institutes and companies, from small start-ups to large multi-national corporations.

For more information on our work with commercial organisations, please visit the Commercial Services pages 

Science quality at NPL is monitored internally by our Chief Scientist, key scientists, and Knowledge Leaders, and externally via regular visits from the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering.