Department of Physics
Professor Sarah Thompson, Head of Department
Russell Group
Regularly ranked top 100 in World
Top in the UK under 50 years old – until too old!
Regularly ranked top 10 in UK
19,000 students
£750M Heslington East expansion
White Rose Consortium
N8 Consortium
Department of Physics
 Great people
 Great science
 Great environment
Department of Physics
 Great people
Departmental Profile
Staff
56 Academic staff (by the end of the year)
44 Research Fellows
22 Technical staff
15 Admin and Finance staff
Athena Swan Silver
Institute of Physics Juno Champion
Teaching
520 Undergraduates
MPhys (4 year) and BSc (3 year) degrees
(+Foundation Year)
Physics (54%)
Astrophysics (18%)
Theoretical Physics (15%)
Maths and Physics (9%)
Physics with Philosophy (5%)
Natural Sciences from 2015: 20 taking physics in Year 1
MSc
Expansion…
127 Postgraduates (5 MSc by research)
Fusion Energy CDT
13 Taught MSc Fusion
Physics Expansion
• 70% growth in academics
Physics Staff Numbers (FTE) - Phase I & II
60
• 22 academic appointments
since 2012/13
50
40
30
Academic
Research
Support
20
10
0
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
• Expansion accelerated by
~£750k funding from
Seagate, Culham Centre for
Fusion Energy, Central
Laser Facility, Diamond
Light Source, Kromek….
Year
• PDRA per academic
increased by 220%
PGR Student numbers (2010-11 to 2013-14 from HESA data,
2014-15 actual, and 2015-16 onwards from MTP)
140
120
• Postgraduates increased by
150% since 2006
PGR FTE
100
80
60
40
20
0
2010/11
2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
2014/15
2015/16
2016/17
3 Royal Society Wolfson Merit Awards
Professor Thomas Krauss – October 2015
Joins:
Professor Bruce Lipschultz
Professor Howard Wilson
2013 John Dawson Award for
Excellence in Plasma Physics
by the American Physics
Society
Professor Pratibha Gai
Prix L’Oreal UNESCO
Laureate for Europe 2013
News on:
Le Monde,
Figaro,
International Herald Tribune,
Times HES,
Women’s Magazines
New Scientist;
Chemistry World,
BBC Radio interviews
TF1 (Paris) Prime Time TV News etc.
Professor Jacek Dobaczewski awarded
the 2015 Wojciech Rubinowicz prize
The Polish Physical Society (Polskie
Towarzystwo Fizyczne - PTF) awarded
Professor Jacek Dobaczewski the annual
scientific prize for fundamental studies in
density functional theory (DFT) and its
applications in nuclear physics.
Department of Physics
 Great science
Research
Plasma Physics and Fusion
Nuclear Physics & Nuclear Astrophysics
Condensed Matter Physics
11
Interdisciplinary Research
Electronics
Electron
Microscopy
MRI
Centre for
Magnetic
Resonance
JEOL Nanocentre
Centre of
Excellence
for Mass
Spectroscopy
BioArCh
Raman
Chemistry
NMR
Physics
CMP
Archaeology
ASEM
Medical
School
Neuroimaging
Centre
Bioscience
Technology
Facility
HPLC
Fluorescence
Microscopy
Environ
ment
Mathe
matics
Computer
Science
Biology
Physics Research Developments
Major expansions in:
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Quantum Technology Hub (£24M)
York Plasma Institute (£3.7M)
Nanocentre (£5M)
Photonics (£1.5M)
Biological Physics (£0.5M)
Nuclear Physics
Department-wide strengths in:
• Materials Physics
• Theoretical and Computational Physics
• Biological Physics
One of the top 5 EPSRC funded Physics Departments in the UK
Research income – rising year on year
Value of Total Research income )
Value of total research income (£)
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
3,000,000
University of York
2,000,000
1,000,000
0
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
77% increase to £4.6M since 2012/13
35% increase in research income per academic
New Public Investment in Quantum Technologies
The UK National Quantum Technologies
Programme.
£270m five-year programme to exploit the
potential of quantum science
Develop a range of emerging technologies
with the potential to benefit the UK.
Industry and academia working together to
create opportunities for UK wealth creation.
Autumn Statement
2013
£270M
UK Government investment in
quantum technologies research
Quantum Communications Hub
Vision:
“To develop new quantum communications (QComm)
technologies that will reach new markets, enabling widespread
use and adoption in many scenarios – from government and
commercial transactions through to consumers and the home.”
Delivery:
First generation: Take proven concepts in Quantum Key
Distribution (QKD) and advance these to commercial-ready
stages.
Next generation: Explore new approaches, applications,
protocols and services – beyond QKD.
Quantum Communications Hub: Partners
Academic partners:
York (lead), Bristol, Cambridge, Heriot-Watt, Leeds, Royal Holloway, Sheffield,
Strathclyde
Industrial partners:
R&D: Toshiba Research Europe Ltd. (TREL), BT and (the National Physical
Laboratory)
Network: ADVA, NDFIS
Supplier/Consultancy (optical): Oclaro, ID Quantique
Collaboration/Consultancy (microwave): Airbus, L3-TRL
Start-ups (exploitation): Qumet (Bristol), Cryptographiq (Leeds/IP Group)
Standards/Consultancy: ETSI, GCHQ
User engagement: Bristol City Council, Knowle West Media Centre, Cambridge
Science Park, Cambridge Network Ltd
Quantum Hub launch (June)
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Opened by the VC, Professor Koen Lamberts
Chair of the Strategic Advisory Board for UK National Quantum Technologies
Programme: Professor David Delpy
Director, Quantum Metrology Institute, NPL: Dr Rhys Lewis
Managing Director for Research & Innovation BT: Dr Tim Whitley
Ass. Managing Director Toshiba Research Europe Ltd.: Dr Andrew Shields
NATURE
PHOTONICS
(COVER, 2013)
Chaos proves superior to order - a
chaotic optical cavity can store up
to 6 times more energy than a
regular cavity.
NATURE
(COVER, 2013)
Measurement of octupole
shapes in nuclei (on front
cover of Nature in May 2013)
Industrial Engagement
WRIPA Goal:
Improve links between academia and industry
Prepare students better for a technical career
Driver:
Many technical companies have difficulty recruiting.
Students are often unaware of the opportunities available.
Mechanisms:
1. Group industrial projects,
Year in industry
2. Laboratory Development
3. Entrepreneurial thinking
4. Workshops, Recruitment
Fairs
WRIPA launch (November)
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WRIPA formally opened by the Vice-Chancellor
Physics Industry Recruitment and Placement Fair attended by 17 exhibitors and
160 UG students from York & Sheffield
Exhibitors included IBM, BAE Applied Systems, Kromek, RB, Dyson & CGG
Presentations by:
David Sweeney, Director of Research, Education & Knowledge Exchange, HEFEC
Thomas Krauss, WRIPA Academic Lead
Peter Main, Institute of Physics
Dr Adam Tuff, Kromek
York MPhys students who participated in industrial projects with Dyson
Department of Physics
 Great environment
Infrastructure
Nanocentre (17)
Labs & offices for 7 staff and 10 PGs
Labs used by approx 50 from Physics
Information Centre (41)
8 staff and 33 PGs
YPI offices (72)
27 staff and 45 PGs
Astrocampus
Astrophysics teaching
YPI Labs
Plasma laboratories
Physics building (215)
Research and Teaching Labs
Offices for 93 staff and 123 PGs (92 in Portakabins)
“Quantum” Information Centre
YCQT/CMPi International Workshop
Quantum Correlations and Many-Body
Physics
YPI Extension – December completion
Upgraded research laboratories
• New staff
• New research activities
• Enhanced facilities
Femtosecond laser experiments and
Kerr microscopy
Biophysics: imaging
Outreach ~ 10,000 people involved this year
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Outreach to schools (primary and secondary) and the general public
~ 100 members of the department contributing
(undergrad, postgrad and staff)
• Astrocampus
Solar Eclipse
Great socials…
International environment
A “typical” year of conferences and collaborations