Research output per year
Research output per year
Personal profile
Research overview
Graham Turnbull’s research combines optical materials and nanophotonics for a range of smart lighting applications that span optical wireless communications, biotechnology, and trace chemical sensing. He has made world-leading contributions to the development of organic semiconductor lasers including the recent advance of an electrically-driven organic laser based on the world’s brightest OLEDs. His group has developed trace chemical sensors for environmental monitoring and for land mine detection, and LED-based lighting for growing algae. Underpinning the device physics and applications are studies of light-matter interactions in organic materials and scalable processing including nanoimprint lithography.
In 2024 Graham Turnbull co-established the Photonics and Quantum Accelerator (PQA), a £5M EPSRC-funded project that brings together Scottish universities, local councils and industry bodies to advance the growth of the photonics sector in Scotland’s Central Belt.
External leadership roles
- Photonics and Quantum Accelerator (St Andrews lead 2024-2029)
- CDT in Applied Photonics (St Andrews co-ordinator 2014-)
- Opening up Photonics (Advisory Board member 2023-)
- St Andrews Physics Trust Fund (Trustee 2015-2024, Chair 2015-2019)
- SUPA - Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (management group 2015-2019)
- SUSSP Scottish Universities Summer Schools in Physics (Trustee 2015-2019)
- IEEE Photonics Society Scottish Chapter (2003-2015, Chair 2010-2015)
University leadership roles
- Head of School of Physics & Astronomy (2015-2019)
- Acting Vice-Principal (Research and Innovation) (2020)
- Research Excellence Board member (2018-)
- Senate Elected Member (2020-2024)
- Director of Postgraduate Studies (P&A) (2011-2015)
Industrial relevance
optical sensors for chemical detection
Smart lighting technologies for data communications and photosynthesis
Organic semiconductor optoelectronic devices
nanoimprint lithography
technologies for security marking
Academic/Professional Qualification
MSci Hons University of St Andrews (1995)
PhD University of St Andrews (1999)
Senior Member of the IEEE (2010)
Fellow of the Institute of Physics (2019)
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Electrically driven organic laser using integrated OLED pumping
Yoshida, K., Gong, J., Kanibolotsky, A. L., Skabara, P. J., Turnbull, G. & Samuel, I. D. W., 28 Sept 2023, In: Nature. 621, p. 746-752Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
245 MHz bandwidth organic light-emitting diodes used in a gigabit optical wireless data link
Yoshida, K., Manousiadis, P., Bian, R., Chen, Z., Murawski, C., Gather, M. C., Haas, H., Turnbull, G. A. & Samuel, I. D. W., 3 Mar 2020, In: Nature Communications. 11, 7 p., 1171.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Preconcentration techniques for trace explosive sensing
Gillanders, R. N., Glackin, J. M. E., Filipi, J., Kezic, N., Samuel, I. D. W. & Turnbull, G. A., Mar 2019, In: Science of the Total Environment. 658, p. 650-658Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Flexible and ultra-lightweight polymer membrane lasers
Karl, M., Glackin, J. M. E., Schubert, M., Kronenberg, N. M., Turnbull, G. A., Samuel, I. D. W. & Gather, M. C., 1 May 2018, In: Nature Communications. 9, 7 p., 1525.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Optically trapped room temperature polariton condensate in an organic semiconductor
Wei, M., Verstraelen, W., Orfanakis, K., Ruseckas, A., Liew, T. C. H., Samuel, I. D. W., Turnbull, G. & Ohadi, H., 23 Nov 2022, In: Nature Communications. 13, 1, 8 p., 7191.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile
Datasets
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Optical sensing of water contaminants using organic semiconductors (dataset)
Gillanders, R. (Creator), Mishra, S. (Creator), Turnbull, G. (Creator) & Ogugu, E. B. (Creator), University of St Andrews, 27 Aug 2024
DOI: 10.17630/5df377c3-29ee-4371-9a1d-77cb546cc5b8
Dataset
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Optically trapped room temperature polariton condensate in an organic semiconductor (dataset)
Wei, M. (Creator), Verstraelen, W. (Creator), Orfanakis, K. (Creator), Ruseckas, A. (Creator), Liew, T. (Creator), Samuel, I. D. W. (Creator), Turnbull, G. (Creator) & Ohadi, H. (Creator), University of St Andrews, 22 Nov 2022
DOI: 10.17630/46b1551a-f39c-47cf-b16d-44d84350bea4
Dataset
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Room Temperature Polariton Lasing in Ladder-type Oligo(p-phenylene)s with Different π-conjugation Lengths (dataset)
Wei, M. (Creator), Rajendran, S. K. (Creator), Fang, M. (Creator), Lai, W.-Y. (Creator), Turnbull, G. (Creator) & Samuel, I. D. W. (Creator), University of St Andrews, 13 Jan 2021
DOI: 10.17630/7bd2b281-2ae9-4de8-a091-4f409cbe7cb1
Dataset
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Data Underpinning Edward Blessed Ogugu's thesis
Ogugu, E. B. (Creator) & Turnbull, G. (Supervisor), University of St Andrews, 31 Jan 2026
DOI: 10.17630/79ba61ec-c550-4582-b2d9-33bea62cc781, https://doi.org/10.17630/sta/733
Dataset: Thesis dataset
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Biomonitoring for wide area surveying in landmine detection using honeybees and optical sensing (dataset)
Gillanders, R. (Creator), Turnbull, G. (Creator) & Glackin, J. M. E. (Creator), Elsevier, 18 Jan 2021
DOI: 10.17630/bf7a117d-9e9f-419f-855c-add2b1e10449
Dataset
File
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Elucidating the light harvesting: Elucidating the light harvesting strategy of the deepest living marine algae
Turnbull, G. (PI)
1/09/18 → 28/02/21
Project: Standard
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Biological Method for Explosive Detect: Biological Method (Bees) for Explosive Detection
Turnbull, G. (PI) & Gillanders, R. (CoI)
3/11/17 → 2/11/20
Project: Standard
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Super receivers for visible light: Super Receivers for Visible Light Communications
Turnbull, G. (PI) & Samuel, I. D. W. (CoI)
1/08/17 → 31/07/20
Project: Standard
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Hybrid Polaritonics: Hybrid Polaritonics
Samuel, I. D. W. (PI), Höfling, S. (CoI), Keeling, J. M. J. (CoI) & Turnbull, G. (CoI)
1/09/15 → 31/08/20
Project: Standard
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CDT Applied Photonics with Heriot Watt: Heriot-Watt led Applied Photonics Centre for Doctoral Training
Turnbull, G. (PI)
1/09/14 → 28/02/23
Project: Standard
Activities
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Visit by John Phair, CTO of Pyreos
Wahl, P. (Participant), Turnbull, G. A. (Participant) & Irvine, J. T. S. (Participant)
5 Oct 2016Activity: Consultancy types › Other external non-academic engagement
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Organic Semiconductor Light Sources for visible light communications, EOS Annual Meeting, Berlin
Turnbull, G. A. (Invited speaker)
Sept 2014Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Organic semiconductor colour convertors for high speed visible light communication , Photon 14, London
Turnbull, G. A. (Invited speaker)
Sept 2014Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Organic Optoelectronic Sensors for Security and Medical Applications, SPIE Optics and Photonics, San Diego
Turnbull, G. A. (Invited speaker)
Aug 2014Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Diode-pumped polymer lasers:photophysics of long pulse operation, SPIE Optics and Photonics, San Diego
Turnbull, G. A. (Invited speaker)
Aug 2014Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
Prizes
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Fellow of the Institute of Physics
Turnbull, G. A. (Recipient), 2019
Prize: Election to learned society
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Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland Research Scholar,
Turnbull, G. A. (Recipient), 1995
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Press/Media
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Detecting Explosives
Gillanders, R. & Turnbull, G. A.
3/03/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Relating to Research
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Re: Tiere als Helfer Im Einsatz für den Menschen
Gillanders, R. & Turnbull, G. A.
12/12/19
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Relating to Research
Impacts
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An Optical Sensor Platform for Detection of Explosive Remnants of War
Turnbull, G. (Participant) & Gillanders, R. (Participant)
Impact: Economic, Commercial Impact, Health and Welfare Impact