Teaching
I have tutored Materials Science undergraduates at St Catherine’s for 20 years, taking on the role of Tutorial Fellow in 2024. I mainly teach topics relating to electronic properties of materials and phase transformations. In the Department of Materials I currently lecture the first year “Electricity and Magnetism” course and a third year options course on “Superconducting Materials”.
About me
I first came to the University of Oxford as an undergraduate student in Materials Science, staying on to gain a DPhil in the field of high temperature superconducting materials. I was awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship in 2005 which I undertook part time in the Department of Materials until I took up a permanent academic post in 2015. I lead a research group specialising in superconducting materials and co-direct the Centre for Applied Superconductivity which was established in 2015. I currently hold an Engineering and Physical Sciences Open Plus Fellowship on the topic of irradiation damage of superconductors for fusion magnet applications. I am a champion for widening participation in STEM, and have recently been awarded a Public and Community Engagement Fellowship to develop the departmental PCER strategy. I have also recently authored a book on superconducting materials for a general audience (including keen high school students) called “A Materials Science Guide to Superconductors: and how to make them super”.
Research
Superconductors are a fascinating class of materials that can carry electricity without any resistance. The Superconducting Materials research group focusses on understanding relationships between processing, microstructure and properties of a wide variety of superconducting materials. A major part of our current research activity is associated with the Oxford Centre for Applied Superconductivity (CfAS) and involves working closely with local industrial partners to address materials challenges in the superconducting magnet industry, such as superconducting joints and MgB2 bulk materials. We have a growing activity in studying radiation damage in high temperature superconductors, which are a key enabling technology for commercial nuclear fusion reactors. In addition, we specialise in the processing and characterisation of thin films, and have a new research interest in novel superconducting materials for quantum device applications.
Graduate teaching
I supervise graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, mainly in the area of applied superconductivity.
