Steve Elston

Professor of Engineering Science

My present research interests are mainly in the field of novel liquid crystal materials and applications, within which I undertake both theoretical and experimental work. The theoretical work has three main strands: (i) the applications of liquid crystal continuum theory to novel liquid crystal phases; (ii) the interactions between order and elasticity in liquid crystalline systems; (iii) advanced optics of liquid crystal displays. Experimental work undertaken includes the study of alignment and switching processes in novel liquid crystal phases, and also the applications of liquid crystalline materials in both display technology and surface sensing systems.

More information can be found at my research pages, or please get in touch with me directly by email for further queries.

Research area Materials and Devices

Research interests Display devices Liquid crystals Optoelectronics Soft matter

Department Engineering Science

Matthew Fuchter

Professor of Chemistry

My research group focus is on functional molecules, chiral materials, and photoswitchable systems with applications across materials science, medicine and sustainable technologies

Gianluca Gregori

Professor of Physics

My research interests are: Laboratory Astrophysics; Fusion energy; Quantum plasmas; Fundamental physics with high-power lasers

Chao He

Associate Professor of Engineering Science

My research interests include polarisation optics, biomedical microscopy and vectorial imaging

Laura Herz

Professor of Physics

My research is focused on investigating nanostructured molecular and inorganic semiconducting materials

Doug Higgs

Emeritus Professor, Consultant Physician

We use state-of-the-art laboratory and computational approaches to understand how mammalian genes are switched on and off during development and differentiation and how this goes awry in human genetic diseases.

Felix Hofmann

Professor of Engineering Science

I’m interested in the effect of defects on material properties, ranging from single atom defects, such as vacancies and interstitials, to extended defects, such as dislocations, to macroscopic defects, for example cracks and voids.