Profile

I have lived near Glasgow most of my life. I studied for my undergraduate degree and PhD at the University of Strathclyde and worked as researcher until 2018 when I moved to the University of Glasgow. Recently I moved from the School of Chemistry to the School of Engineering but I’ll always be a chemist. In my spare time I like to play and watch football. My favourite author is Kazuo Ishiguro. I like to listen to podcasts on my commute, my favourite is the Elis James and John Robins podcast.

I have worked on many different research topics over the course of my career. This has mostly focussed on semiconductor devices. Semiconductors can be used in a lot of the important technologies we use today from solar cells, to LEDs. I have a special interest in organic semiconductors, materials which contain non-metal elements such as carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen. These have the advantages of being lightweight, flexible and potentially cheaper in the future. Using organic materials, it could be possible to print electronics devices like newspapers are printed, instead of the energy-intensive methods that are currently used.

My research has mostly focussed on making organic solar cells and organic light-emitting diodes more efficient using new materials that I design and make. But I have also contributed to research where we make devices using only a single molecule. The world of organic semiconductors is fascinating with the many possibilities.

I now work with inorganic semiconductors for short-wave infrared photodiodes. I use quantum dots, materials where the size of the dot changes the wavelength of absorption. This was the subject for the award of the Nobel Prize of Chemistry in 2023.

Finally, I have an interest in making electronic devices sustainable. Electronic waste is a huge problem around the world. The research I am currently undertaking can help prevent this. Biodegradable materials can naturally degrade, avoiding waste going to landfill. I am making pH sensor which can be used to help monitor plant growth and and the end of the sensors use the sensor degrades to nutrients for the plants. I am also studying the recycling of photovoltaic panels. If we can reclaim and reuse the components in renewable energy technologies this helps us lower our environmental footprint.