Swapna Beena, originally from India, earned her bachelor’s degree in physics from Mar Thoma College, Kerala, India , in 2023 and later completed her master’s degree in physics with a specialization in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India, in 2025.
Currently, she is a PhD researcher at Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Donegal, Ireland, where she began her doctoral studies in 2026. She is a member of the Semiconductor Photonics Education and Research (SPEAR) Centre at the ATU WiSAR Lab and conducts her research under the supervision of Dr Brian Ashall. The SPEAR Centre is supported through the PEACEPLUS programme and collaborates with Ulster University, the Tyndall National Institute, and Seagate Technology.
Her doctoral research focuses on the design and characterization of semiconductor-based architectures for controlling the excitation of Surface Plasmon Polaritons (SPPs). Her work lies within the field of semiconductor plasmonics, which investigates the interaction of light with collective electron oscillations in materials to manipulate and confine electromagnetic energy at the nanoscale.
Her research interests include plasmonics, semiconductor photonics, nanophotonics, surface plasmon polaritons, optical sensing, and nanotechnology.
