Alastair graduated from the University of St Andrews in 2019 with a masters degree in Physics.
His masters project focused on machining the end faces of optical fibres with CO2 laser ablation for fabricating fibre-coupled optical cavities.
After a few years away from academia working in secondary education, Alastair began an Engineering Doctorate program with the Centre for Doctoral Training in Applied Photonics in 2022.
Working with PowerPhotonic, based in Dalgety Bay in Fife, Alastair is looking at utilising ultrafast laser assisted etching alongside CO2 laser polishing for the fabrication of freeform micro-optics.