Contact Dr Daniel Francis
- Tel: +44 (0) 1234 758349
- Email: daniel.francis@cranfield.ac.uk
- ORCID
Areas of expertise
- Instrumentation, Sensors and Measurement Science
- Sensor Technologies
Background
Daniel graduated in 2001 from the University of Sussex with a BSc in Physics with Astrophysics, followed two years later with an MSc with distinction in Applied and Modern Optics from Reading University. His MSc thesis work investigated the influence of polarisation on laser speckle patterns and was carried at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington. After spending a year working at Reading University, helping to convert the MSc in optics to a distance learning course, he joined Cranfield University to pursue a PhD in speckle interferometry.
His PhD project involved the development of shearography instrumentation to make full-field surface strain measurements of dynamic objects which won the 2008 School of Engineering prize for best PhD. After completing his doctorate he was employed in the Engineering Photonics Group continuing research on shearography.
Following his successful viva in 2008 he took a year out to travel in Asia visiting Nepal, Laos and Japan amongst other countries. On his return to Europe in 2009, he completed an internship at Delft Technical University in the Netherlands working on a review paper on shearography.
Since re-joining Engineering Photonics in 2010 he has worked on a wide variety of projects focused on imaging, spectroscopy, and optics including an EPSRC project developing speckle velocimetry odometry instrumentation for autonomous vehicle, a TSB funded project - DIABLO (Detection of Infectious Agents By Laser Optics) involving the development of novel, low volume gas cells for mid IR spectroscopy, and an EPSRC project investigating refractometry of the eye using low-coherence interferometry. He is currently working on developing imaging pyrometry for wire-and-arc additive manufacturing.
Research opportunities
Mid-IR spectroscopy, laser speckle interferometry, low coherence refractometry, infrared pyrometry.
Current activities
Development of imaging pyrometry for wire and arc additive manufacturing.
Mid-IR spectroscopy for healthcare applications.
Low-coherence confocal refractometry.
Clients
- Cascade Technologies
- Innovate UK
- Airbus SE
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Francis D, Hodgkinson J & Tatam RP. (2024). Long-wave infrared pulsed external-cavity QCL spectrometer using a hollow waveguide gas cell. Optics Express, 32(10)
- Davis NM, Francis D, Hodgkinson J & Tatam RP. (2023). Compact methane sensor using an integrating sphere and interband cascade laser at 3313 nm. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 389(August)
- Francis D, Hallam JM & Tatam RP. (2023). Low-coherence and broadband confocal refractometry: reducing the measurement time. Measurement Science and Technology, 34(12)
- Bergin S, Hodgkinson J, Francis D & Tatam RP. (2020). Ratiometric pathlength calibration of integrating sphere-based absorption cells. Optics Express, 28(13)
- Lourenço C, Bergin S, Hodgkinson J, Francis D, Staines SE, .... (2020). Instrumentation for quantitative analysis of volatile compounds emission at elevated temperatures. Part 1: Design and implementation. Scientific Reports, 10(1)
- Lourenço C, Bergin S, Hodgkinson J, Francis D, Staines SE, .... (2020). Instrumentation for quantitative analysis of volatile compounds emission at elevated temperatures. Part 2: Analysis of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy composite. Scientific Reports, 10(1)
- Ford HD, Francis D, Hallam JM & Tatam RP. (2019). Influence of aberrations on confocal-based remote refractive index measurements. Applied Optics, 58(24)
- Francis D, Ford HD & Tatam RP. (2018). Spectrometer-based refractive index and dispersion measurement using low-coherence interferometry with confocal scanning. Optics Express, 26(3)
- Francis D, Hodgkinson J, Livingstone B, Black P & Tatam RP. (2016). Low-volume, fast response-time hollow silica waveguide gas cells for mid-IR spectroscopy. Applied Optics, 55(25)
- Bergin S, Hodgkinson J, Francis D & Tatam RP. (2016). Integrating cavity based gas cells: a multibeam compensation scheme for pathlength variation. Optics Express, 24(12)
- Francis D, Masiyano D, Hodgkinson J & Tatam RP. (2015). A mechanically stable laser diode speckle interferometer for surface contouring and displacement measurement. Measurement Science and Technology, 26(5)
- Chowdhury SA, Correia RN, Francis D, Brooks SJ, Jones BJS, .... (2015). An optical fiber hydrogen sensor using a palladium-coated ball lens. Journal of Lightwave Technology, 33(12)
- Francis D, Hodgkinson J, Livingstone B & Tatam RP. (2015). Quantum cascade laser light propagation through hollow silica waveguides. Applied Physics B, 119(1)
- Bledowski IA, Charrett TOH, Francis D, James SW & Tatam RP. (2013). Frequency-division multiplexing for multicomponent shearography. Applied Optics, 52(3)
- Francis D, Charrett TOH, Waugh L & Tatam RP. (2012). Objective speckle velocimetry for autonomous vehicle odometry. Applied Optics, 51(16)
- Charrett TOH, Francis D & Tatam RP. (2011). Quantitative shearography: error reduction by using more than three measurement channels. Applied Optics, 50(2)
- Francis D, Tatam RP & Groves RM. (2010). Shearography technology and applications: a review. Measurement Science and Technology, 21(10)
- Francis D, James SW & Tatam RP. (2008). Surface strain measurement of rotating objects using pulsed laser shearography with coherent fibre-optic imaging bundles. Measurement Science and Technology, 19(10)
- Francis D, James SW & Tatam RP. (2007). Surface strain measurement using multi-component shearography with coherent fibre-optic imaging bundles. Measurement Science and Technology, 18(11)
