Early-career researchers awarded prestigious Academy Fellowships

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Today the Royal Academy of Engineering has announced that 24 early-career researchers who are creating innovative solutions to modern problems have been chosen for Research Fellowships and UK Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (ICRF). 

One of those researchers is Dr Jake Zipfel, Senior Scientist at National Physical Laboratory (NPL), who is working on a project to advance a class of quantum sensor known as an atomic spin gyroscope. The technology currently exists as a portable prototype, and the fellowship will support its development into a practical, deployable system for real-world navigation. 

Atomic spin gyroscopes measure rotation using the quantum properties of atoms, offering exceptionally low drift and long‑term stability. These characteristics make them attractive for navigation in environments where satellite signals, including GPS, are unavailable or unreliable. However, despite their promise, current systems are large, sensitive to environmental changes, and power‑hungry, limiting their use outside specialist laboratories. 

The fellowship will address these limitations by reducing the system’s size, weight and power consumption, while improving resilience to vibration and temperature changes, bringing the technology closer to deployment. 

The potential impact is wide‑ranging. Reliable, low‑drift navigation sensors are increasingly important due to the growing vulnerability of satellite navigation signals, such as GPS. This work could enable resilient navigation for applications such as autonomous vehicles, rail and transport systems, aerospace platforms, and operations underground or underwater. In addition, many of the engineering advances developed here will benefit other quantum technologies, including atomic clocks and magnetic sensors, strengthening the UK’s position in the growing quantum engineering sector. 

View Jake's profile here

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