News May 2012. Award of the Holweck Prize and Medal to Helen Helen Gleeson has been awarded the Institute of Physics and French Physical Society joint Holweck Prize and Medal for 2012. The medal is awarded jointly to a UK physicist in even-numbered years, for achievements in physics. More details of the prize and past winners can be found here. April 2012. Welcome to Rafael Mufato Reis Rafael has won a scholarship to join us for a year, carrying out a research project on liquid crystals. He arrived from Brazil in mid-April. April 2012. Visit to Russia Helen and Louise enjoyed a return visit to Dr Dolganov in Chernogolovka, near Moscow. The science was excellent, the weather was pretty good and the hospitality was superb. We had time to do some sightseeing in Moscow. We thank Dr and Prof. Dolganov for their very kind hospitality at the Institute for Solid State Physics. December 2011. Congratulations to Dr Labeeb Dr Ahmad Labeeb successfully passed his viva on December 12th. Many congratulations to him. November 2011. Visit to the group by Dr Pavel Dolganov Dr Dolganov visited us for 2 weeks in October/November as part of our collaboration with his group in Russia. Louise and Helen are looking forward to a return visit around Easter 2012. September 2011. Welcome to our new PhD students We are really pleased to welcome Louise Johnson, Harry Liu and Zhao-Peng Zhang to the group. They will all be studying for PhDs with Helen Gleeson as their supervisor. September 2011. Congratulations to Dr Cronin and to Oli Coles! Dr Tom Cronin successfully passed his EngD viva early this month. Oli also successfully gained his MPhil. Many congratulations to both of them. August 2011. Congratulations to Sarabjot and Harry! We are excited and thrilled that Sarabjot gave birth to a baby boy earlier this month. The whole group offer their heartfelt congratulations. June 2011. Good Luck to Dr. Simon Siemianowski Dr Simon Siemianowski, who has been with the group since 2006, firstly as a PhD student and more recently as a postdoctoral researcher, left the group in June 2011 to take up a Research Scientist post at Merck in Southampton. April 2011. Welcome to Dr Kiyoaki Usami We are very pleased to welcome Dr Kiyoaki Usami who will be spending a sabbatical year with us, until April 2012. Kiyoaki is an expert on photo-alignment and is an Associate Professor from Osaka Sangyo University, Japan. March 2011. Liquid Crystals at the ‘Big Bang’, London Dr Ingo Dierking was the main organiser of an exhibition of liquid crystals and their properties at the 2011 Big Bang science exhibition at the ExCel in London. The exhibition was a collaboration between the Universities of Manchester, Sheffield Hallam, and Southampton. An estimated 30.000 pupils from schools and members of the public attended the "Big Bang". January 2011. Good Luck to Dr. Shaden Jaradat Dr Shaden Jaradat, who has been with the group since 2002, firstly as a PhD student and more recently as a postdoctoral researcher, left the group in December 2010. Shaden has taken up a RA position in the Biological Physics Group. August 2010. Good Luck to Dr. Paul Brimicombe Dr Paul Brimicombe, who has held postdoctoral researcher positions in the Group for the past 4 years, is to be congratulated on his new position as a Systems Developer with AquilaHeywood. We wish him the very best in his new job. June 2010 Royal Society Summer Exhibition Dr Ingo Dierking and Professor Helen Gleeson were two of the organisers of the Royal Society Summer Exhibition 'Liquid Crystals: from living cells to flat TVs' which helped to celebrate 350 years of the Royal Society. June 2010. Return of Dr. Frank Xiang Welcome back to Dr Frank Xiang who has won a Royal Society Travel Grant, plus additional support from the Photon Science Institute, to spend 2 months as a Fellow working in the group on electroconvection in biaxial liquid crystals. April 2010. Congratulations! Congratulations to Dr Shaden Jaradat and Dr Yumni Nam on their recent engagement. Shaden and Yumni met at the 2009 Ferroelectrics Liquid Crystal Conference, making this a true story of self assembly and organisation! September 2009. Congratulations to Dr. Nicholas Roberts Dr Nicholas Roberts, who has held both Leverhulme and EPSRC Fellowships in the Group over the last 5 years has won a prestigious BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship. He will take up the Fellowship at Bristol University and we all wish him the very best in his new position. June 2009. Helen Gleeson awarded OBE Professor Helen Gleeson was awarded an OBE for Services to Science in the Queen's birthday honours list. Helen has held internal positions in Manchester including Associate Dean for Research and Head of School, as well as external positions including Chair of the British Liquid Crystal Society and Vice-Chair of the International Liquid Crystal Society. This prestigious award recognises in particular her work promoting Women in Physics. May 2009. Ingo Dierking joins the editorial board of the journal Soft Materials April 2009. Medal Award Congratulations to Ingo Dierking who has been awarded the 2009 Cyril Hilsum Medal by the British Liquid Crystal Society. The award is for oustanding recent research in the field of liquid crystals. Ingo was awarded the medal for his recent research into Carbon nanotube/liquid crystal composites, polymer stabilsed liquid crystals and growth of liquid crystalline phases. March 2009. EurophysicsNews covers work on polymer stabilised liquid crystals March 2009. APS virtual press room features our work on crumpled thin films Our recent work on the stress relaxation of crumples of thin polymer films was featured by the American Physical Society at the March meeting in Pittsburgh as one of 26 selected contributions. January 2009. APS homepage features one of our liquid crystal images showing the annihilation of defects.

News

May 2012. Award of the Holweck Prize and Medal to Helen

Helen Gleeson has been awarded the Institute of Physics and French Physical Society joint Holweck Prize and Medal for 2012. The medal is awarded jointly to a UK physicist in even-numbered years, for achievements in physics. More details of the prize and past winners can be found here.

April 2012. Welcome to Rafael Mufato Reis

Rafael has won a scholarship to join us for a year, carrying out a research project on liquid crystals. He arrived from Brazil in mid-April.

April 2012. Visit to Russia

Helen and Louise enjoyed a return visit to Dr Dolganov in Chernogolovka, near Moscow. The science was excellent, the weather was pretty good and the hospitality was superb. We had time to do some sightseeing in Moscow. We thank Dr and Prof. Dolganov for their very kind hospitality at the Institute for Solid State Physics.

December 2011. Congratulations to Dr Labeeb

Dr Ahmad Labeeb successfully passed his viva on December 12th. Many congratulations to him.

November 2011. Visit to the group by Dr Pavel Dolganov

Dr Dolganov visited us for 2 weeks in October/November as part of our collaboration with his group in Russia. Louise and Helen are looking forward to a return visit around Easter 2012.

September 2011. Welcome to our new PhD students

We are really pleased to welcome Louise Johnson, Harry Liu and Zhao-Peng Zhang to the group. They will all be studying for PhDs with Helen Gleeson as their supervisor.

September 2011. Congratulations to Dr Cronin and to Oli Coles!

Dr Tom Cronin successfully passed his EngD viva early this month. Oli also successfully gained his MPhil. Many congratulations to both of them.

August 2011. Congratulations to Sarabjot and Harry!

We are excited and thrilled that Sarabjot gave birth to a baby boy earlier this month. The whole group offer their heartfelt congratulations.

June 2011. Good Luck to Dr. Simon Siemianowski

Dr Simon Siemianowski, who has been with the group since 2006, firstly as a PhD student and more recently as a postdoctoral researcher, left the group in June 2011 to take up a Research Scientist post at Merck in Southampton.

April 2011. Welcome to Dr Kiyoaki Usami

We are very pleased to welcome Dr Kiyoaki Usami who will be spending a sabbatical year with us, until April 2012. Kiyoaki is an expert on photo-alignment and is an Associate Professor from Osaka Sangyo University, Japan.

March 2011. Liquid Crystals at the ‘Big Bang’, London

Dr Ingo Dierking was the main organiser of an exhibition of liquid crystals and their properties at the 2011 Big Bang science exhibition at the ExCel in London. The exhibition was a collaboration between the Universities of Manchester, Sheffield Hallam, and Southampton. An estimated 30.000 pupils from schools and members of the public attended the "Big Bang".

January 2011. Good Luck to Dr. Shaden Jaradat

Dr Shaden Jaradat, who has been with the group since 2002, firstly as a PhD student and more recently as a postdoctoral researcher, left the group in December 2010. Shaden has taken up a RA position in the Biological Physics Group.

August 2010. Good Luck to Dr. Paul Brimicombe

Dr Paul Brimicombe, who has held postdoctoral researcher positions in the Group for the past 4 years, is to be congratulated on his new position as a Systems Developer with AquilaHeywood. We wish him the very best in his new job.

June 2010 Royal Society Summer Exhibition

Dr Ingo Dierking and Professor Helen Gleeson were two of the organisers of the Royal Society Summer Exhibition 'Liquid Crystals: from living cells to flat TVs' which helped to celebrate 350 years of the Royal Society.

June 2010. Return of Dr. Frank Xiang

Welcome back to Dr Frank Xiang who has won a Royal Society Travel Grant, plus additional support from the Photon Science Institute, to spend 2 months as a Fellow working in the group on electroconvection in biaxial liquid crystals.

April 2010. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Dr Shaden Jaradat and Dr Yumni Nam on their recent engagement. Shaden and Yumni met at the 2009 Ferroelectrics Liquid Crystal Conference, making this a true story of self assembly and organisation!

September 2009. Congratulations to Dr. Nicholas Roberts

Dr Nicholas Roberts, who has held both Leverhulme and EPSRC Fellowships in the Group over the last 5 years has won a prestigious BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship. He will take up the Fellowship at Bristol University and we all wish him the very best in his new position.

June 2009. Helen Gleeson awarded OBE

Professor Helen Gleeson was awarded an OBE for Services to Science in the Queen's birthday honours list. Helen has held internal positions in Manchester including Associate Dean for Research and Head of School, as well as external positions including Chair of the British Liquid Crystal Society and Vice-Chair of the International Liquid Crystal Society. This prestigious award recognises in particular her work promoting Women in Physics.

May 2009. Ingo Dierking joins the editorial board of the journal Soft Materials

April 2009. Medal Award

Congratulations to Ingo Dierking who has been awarded the 2009 Cyril Hilsum Medal by the British Liquid Crystal Society. The award is for oustanding recent research in the field of liquid crystals. Ingo was awarded the medal for his recent research into Carbon nanotube/liquid crystal composites, polymer stabilsed liquid crystals and growth of liquid crystalline phases.

March 2009. EurophysicsNews covers work on polymer stabilised liquid crystals

March 2009. APS virtual press room features our work on crumpled thin films

Our recent work on the stress relaxation of crumples of thin polymer films was featured by the American Physical Society at the March meeting in Pittsburgh as one of 26 selected contributions.

January 2009. APS homepage features one of our liquid crystal images showing the annihilation of defects.