Professor Andrew Maiden

PhD, MEng

School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Professor of Computational Imaging

Semiconductor Materials and Devices Research Group

Headshot of Andy Maiden
Profile picture of Headshot of Andy Maiden
a.maiden@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 5181

Full contact details

Professor Andrew Maiden
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Sir Frederick Mappin Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
Profile

I’m interested in computational optics – enhancing optical systems such as microscopes, cameras or projectors with computer code.

My interest began with my PhD at Durham University, where I used computer modelling of the way light propagates to design digital holograms.

The holograms were printed out and projected a 3D pattern of circuitry when illuminated with a laser. We used these projected patterns to expose photoresist for the manufacture of volumetric integrated circuits and 3D antennas.

I spent a year living in the Lake District (where I grew up) after my PhD. I got to indulge my passion for outdoor sports – rock climbing, fell running and triathlon – whilst I was there, so when I decided to return to academia Sheffield was a natural choice, being a very outdoors city with excellent Universities.

I moved to Sheffield to work with Professor John Rodenburg FRS, and was lucky enough to join him in the pioneering days of a computational optics technique called ptychography (pronounced tie-cog- ra-fee).

Ptychography uses diffraction pattern measurements to enhance microscopes. It realises ‘perfect’ imaging, where the image of a microscopic specimen it recreates is an exact copy of how that specimen interacts with a beam of light.

I left Sheffield University for a brief spell to work with a spin-out company on commercialisation of ptychography-enhanced microscopes. I missed the freedom of the academic environment, and returned as a Lecturer after a couple of years.

As well as my continuing research in computational optics, I now teach Digital Signal Processing (DSP) to our third years.

Qualifications
  • PhD, University of Durham 2005
  • MEng (Electronic & Electrical Engineering), University of Birmingham 2001
Research interests
  • Coherent Diffractive Imaging (CDI)
  • Ptychography
  • Computer-generated holography
  • Phase imaging in the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)
  • Inverse problems
  • Image processing
Publications

Journal articles

Conference proceedings

Preprints

Research group

Materials and Devices

Teaching activities
  • EEE309 - Introduction to Digital Signal Processing
  • EEE339 - Digital Engineering
Research students
Student Degree Status Primary/Secondary
Cao S PhD Graduated Secondary