Opportunities exist for students to research the photonics and optics of spider silks and webs. As a natural, nanocomposite, self-assembled dielectric material; certain spider silks are high optical quality fibres with high birefringence, high dispersion and high optical nonlinearity. They are biocompatible and have potential for use in a variety of sensors. Projects can be different combinations of theoretical simulations, research of micro-optical techniques to measure the optical properties, nanophotonics, micro- and nano-scale microscopy, and photonics applications of silks.