Lewis Hart I obtained an undergraduate Master of Physics degree from the University of Warwick. I am currently working in the Spectroscopy and Imaging group under the supervision of Dr Daniel Wolverson. My research involves looking at the properties of the Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDs) ReS2 and ReSe2, in particular the optical characteristics of the few atomic layer thick forms of these materials.
Project Title – Novel transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors and heterostructures
Supervisor – Dr. Daniel Wolverson
David Hooper I graduated with an MPhys degree from the University of Bath before joining the Centre for Doctoral Training in Condensed Matter Physics. I am now working on my PhD project under the supervision of Dr Ventsislav Valev. My research uses plasmonics to probe the relationship between chirality, magnetism and light. By using ultrafast lasers I can study how surface magnetizations affect the nonlinear optical properties, specifically second harmonic generation, of metamaterials.
Project Title – Nanoscale confinement of photons, electrons and magnetism in plasmonic metamaterials
Supervisor – Dr. Ventsislav Valev
“The CDT has allowed me to attend scientific meetings and conferences such as, the intentional conference on nanophotonics, in Brazil.”
Sara Karbassi I graduated with an MSci in Physics from the University of Bristol. I am now working under the supervision of Dr Sven Friedemann. in Bristol. My project involves high pressure studies of charge-density-wave superconductors, looking particularly at the chalcogenide materials.
Project Title – Electronic transport and Fermi surface studies of charge-density-wave superconductors at high pressures
Supervisor – Dr. Sven Friedemann and Prof. Antony Carrington
Rebecca Purkiss I graduated with an undergraduate Masters at the University of Bath. I have now started my PhD within the Atomic Manipulation Group at the University of Bath, under the supervision of Dr Peter Sloan. I am looking at dosing a graphene surface with atomic oxygen and using a Scanning Tunnelling Microscope (STM) to induce manipulation of these atoms with the tunnelling current flowing between STM tip and my sample.
Project Title – Seeing is believing: single atom manipulation on graphene
Supervisor – Dr. Peter Sloan
“I have really enjoyed being able to sample a range of techniques though the ETPs and Physics techniques modules in the first year, before fully committing to a PhD project.”
“I have loved being involved in various outreach activities in the later years of the CDT; Bath Taps into Science and Outreach Workshops in schools have been great opportunities to encourage young people that science is fun!”
Joshua Robbins I graduated with an MSci degree from the University of Bristol . After taking a year away from my studies I joined the Bristol-Bath Centre for Doctoral Training in Condensed Matter Physics. I am now working on my PhD project under the supervision of Dr Martin Gradhand and Professor James Annett. This is a theoretical study of the polar Kerr effect in unconventional superconductivity. My work involves numerical simulations of the superconducting state and broken time-reversal symmetry in materials such as Sr2RuO4 with the aim of uncovering information of the pairing of electrons in an unconventional superconducting state.
Project Title – The Kerr effect in high temperature superconductors
Supervisor – Prof. James Annett and Dr. Martin Gradhand
Joe Wilcox I am in my third year of the CDT-CMP and I am embedded in the Correlated Electron Systems group and the University of Bristol. Currently, my research is focused on determining the nature of the gap function in Sr2RuO4; a low temperature unconventional superconductor with a Tc of 1.5 K. In my spare time I write music and play guitar and synthesizer in a band.
Project Title – Superconducting energy gap structure of Sr2Ru04
Supervisor – Prof. Anthony Carrington
“The CDT is a great way to be exposed to the latest in condensed matter research; from our internal journal clubs to high profile international conferences.”