DoctorCiaran Moore

I do collaborative, applied research that harnesses the optical and electronic properties of materials to develop novel devices that address challenges in health, energy, advanced manufacturing, and climate change (UN SDGs 3, 7, 9, and 13). I combine electromagnetic modelling, microfabrication, and experimental characterisation to translate fundamental materials science into practical technologies.

Previous topics I have worked on include near-field photolithography, thin film fabrication and characterisation, and lighting protection systems for wind turbine generators. I also have extensive experience in the design and fabrication of piezoelectric, plasmonic, chemical and microfluidic sensors to detect phenomena including temperature, refractive index, gas concentration (including methane and ammonia), and moisture (either in air (humidity), in soil (precision agriculture), or in people (biosensors)).

Recently, my group showed how periodic arrays of metal nanostructures can host plasmonic resonances that are tightly confined in space, and illustrated how these resonances can be used to manipulate the phase of incoming light. I am currently exploring ways of integrating plasmonic nanoparticles into perovskite solar cells to improve their efficiency and stability.

I am an Associate Investigator of both the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology and the Biomolecular Interaction Centre. I am a senior member of Optica and a member of the IEEE and the Microfluidics Society of Australia and New Zealand (microSANZ).