As our Centre marks its 25th anniversary, we are proud to celebrate the long‑standing industrial partnerships that have shaped our research community. Every one of our students is supported by industry and undertakes research that is firmly rooted in real‑world challenges and meaningful innovation.

The STFC Central Laser Facility, based at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, is one of the world’s leading centres for advanced laser science. It provides powerful, state‑of‑the‑art laser systems for research across physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, and industrial innovation.

Since 2016, the CDT and the STFC Central Laser Facility (CLF) have worked together to train 10 doctoral students. What makes this partnership particularly special is that the CLF has sponsored its own staff to undertake doctoral training through the CDT. One such example is Dr Mariastefania De Vido, CDT alumna, who was awarded the MacFarlane Prize for the best thesis submitted at Heriot‑Watt University in 2020. Mariastefania has remained closely connected to the Centre, as is now an industrial supervisor for current students and as a member of the CDT Management Committee.