Professor Gordon Love

Professor Gordon Love

Profile

 

I joined the University of Leeds in July 2023, where I am Head of one of the largest Schools in the University. Our research involves AI, Distributed Systems, Scientific Computing, Visualization & Graphics, Computer Vision, and Theory, and we have a strong cross cutting theme in Biology, Medicine, and Health. We have an excellent top-10 REF result with a very strong impact profile.  We currently have around 1,600 students in total with a thriving undergraduate programme , a number of MSc programmes in Computer Science, two CDTs, a programme at Southwest Jiatong University in China, and an online distance learning programme on AI

My home is in the fantastic Sir William Henry Bragg Building which Computer Science shares with Physics & Astronomy, and the Bragg Centre for Materials Research. My  current research sits nicely betwen Computer Science, Engineering and Physics, where we work on a large collabroative project with Merck on applications of liquid crystal optics in AR and VR. 

 

The Bragg Building

The Bragg Building at the University of Leeds

I decided I wanted to become an academic at the age of about 16 when I was inspired by a work experience placement I did at Leeds University in the then Department of Colour Chemistry. I barely knew what a University was but the idea of research, education and generally “finding things out” captured my imagination. 

I went on to study Physics at Durham University where I was awarded my Bachelor’s and PhD degrees. I attempted to leave Durham twice – first as a Royal Society International Fellow at the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore, India, and secondly as a Postdoc at the University of New Mexico and the USAF Phillips Laboratory in Albuquerque, USA. I then joined the faculty at Durham for 26 years, and worked in both the School of Engineering and the Department of Physics, before moving to Computer Science. I took on a number of leadership roles, including being Deputy Exec Dean – with the portfolio of undergraduate teaching – and I was the founding Head of the re-eastablished Department of Computer Science for five years. I grew the Department from around 18 staff to over 50 with a corresponding increase in student numbers  and programmes. I overaw a move into a newly constructed building, and  led a number of philanthtopically funded projects on Student Enterprize and Women in Tech.  I  undertook a number of pan-University Senate led projects, and I chaired the University’s TRAC Oversight Group.   In 2022-2023 I had a year’s research leave before  my move to Leeds.

Responsibilities

  • Head of School of Computer Science
  • Within the University I sit on the IT Steering Group and the Library Strategic Advisory Board
  • Externally I am a member of the OfS TRAC Development Group

Research interests

My research involves optics, imaging, and displays. My background is in physics although currently my work is extremely interdisciplinary and I sit in a space which is a mixture of being a computer scientist, engineer, physicist, and even psychologist.

A common theme to my work has been adaptive and adaptable optics with a specific focus on liquid crystal devices and lenses. My early work was aimed at astronomy and large telescopes, before I diversified into biosciences and more recently vision science and virtual reality.

I have worked with colleagues in engineering, physics, computer science, psychology, maths, biosciences and even geography. My work has been returned to three different REF panels over my career - physics, engineering, and most recently computer science.

My latest work involves the optics of the eye - I am interested in the mechanisms behind how the eye focuses light which has important ramifications for VR displays and I work with colleagues in the Computational Science and Engineering Theme and the Soft Matter Group in Physics.

Examples of my top papers include:

Creating Zernike modes with liquid crystals

 

 Photo of the eyes of various animalsI

Fox, wolf, sheep and cuttlefish. . Jim Champion (sheep); R'lyeh (wolf); Michele Lamberti (fox); William Warby (cuttlefish), CC BY-SA

 

figure showing how photorealism can be improved if the colours of blurred light are correctly rendered.

<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Some research projects I'm currently working on, or have worked on, will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Professional memberships

  • Fellow of the Institute of Physics
  • Member of Optica
  • Fellow of the HEA

Student education

I have taught a whole range of undergraduate courses in my career involving optics, electronics, optics and mechanics.   Here’s a list of the former PhD students for whom I’ve been the primary/main supervisor – and I have been second supervisor for a further 5 PhD students.

 

Prof. Nathan Doble                             

Image Sharpening Metrics and Search Strategies for Indirect Adaptive Optics

2000

Professor, Ohio State University

Dr. Thomas Oag

Interferometric wavefront sensing for extreme adaptive optics

2004

 

Dr. Tim Butterley

Laser guide stars and turbulence profiling for extremely large telescopes

2006

PDRA Durham University

Dr. Chris Saunter

An Embedded Adaptive Optics Real Time Controller

2007

CTO. Magnitude Biosciences.

Dr. Jonathan Taylor

Optical Binding Phenomena: Observations and Mechanisms

2009

Reader. University of Glasgow

Prof. James Osborn

Profiling the turbulence atmosphere and novel correction techniques for imaging and photometry in astronomy

2010

Professor. University of Durham

Dr. Laura Young

Ocular Higher Order Aberrations and Visual Performance

2011 UKRI Future Leaders Fellow. University of Newcastle.

Dr. Faser Scobie

Adaptive Optics Devices in Vision Science

2013

Senior Product Manager

Dr. Cyril Bourgenot

Light sheet adaptive optics microscope for 3D live imaging

2013

Associate Professor (Research). Durham University.

Dr. Matthew Cashmore

Interferometric Metrology Using Reprogrammable Binary Holograms

2013

Senior Research Scientist

Dr. Jared Parnell

Depth Perception in Humans and Animals

2015

Senior Software Developer

Dr. Thomas Mitchell Adaptive beam control and analysis in fluorescence microscopy 2015 M2 Lasers

Dr. Matthew Townson

Correlation Wavefront Sensing and Turbulence Profiling for Solar Adaptive Optics

2016

Assistant Professor. Northumbria University

Dr. Abigail Finch

The Chromatic Aberration of the Eye and its Importance in the Modern World

2020

Elected Councillor, Bristol.

Dr. Alexander Osborne

Listening to Rivers: Using sound to monitor rivers

2022

PDRA, Hull University

Dr. Lily Beesley

Characterisation of the Turbulent Atmosphere for Free-Space Optical Communications

2024 PDRA (now Lecturer), Birmingham University

 

I have been a PhD Examiner at the following Universties: Cambridge (5 times); Oxford (4 times); Imperial College (3 times); UCL (twice);Sheffield; Kent; Nottingham; Glasgow; St. Andrews,;Heriot Watt; IIT India, TU Delft, The Netherlands; TU Denmark; & Edith Cowan Australia.  I have been an external examiner at Imperial College for the MSc Course in Optics and at the University of York for their undergraduate programme in Physics and Astronomy.

 

<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>We welcome enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>