The Surface Nanoscience Research Group is in the Department of Materials at the University of Oxford. We study the atomic scale structure and properties of surfaces and nanostructures, and also investigate molecular ordering on surfaces. Our main instruments are two JEOL ultra high vacuum (UHV) scanning tunnelling microscopes (STM) that can image surfaces at atomic resolution over a wide range of temperatures. We have recently installed a third UHV chamber for a gas sensing project. By characterising and processing surfaces on the nanoscale we aim to create new materials for applications in catalysis, gas sensing, microelectronics, and diverse areas of nanotechnology.

People in the Group:

 Martin Castell is head of the group.

 He is a Professor in the Department of Materials and a Fellow of Linacre College.

 Chen Wu is a post-doctoral researcher.

 She is currently working on the development of a new type of gas sensor.

 Her research is supported through an EPSRC grant.

 email: chen.wu 'at' materials.ox.ac.uk

 Olga Shvarova is a post-doctoral researcher.

 She is using STM to investigate thin film growth and molecular ordering on surfaces.

 Her research is supported through an EPSRC grant.

 Shams ur Rahman is a third year DPhil student.

 He is studying the relationship between atomic scale defects and the optical and magnetic properties
 of perovskites.

 He holds a Scholarship awarded by COMSATS of Pakistan.

 email: shams.rahman 'at' materials.ox.ac.uk

 Xiao Hu is a first year DPhil student.

 She is using STM to study the structure of ultra-thin oxide films.



 email: xiao.hu 'at' lincoln.ox.ac.uk

Former Group Members:

Jingyu Sun was a DPhil student (2008-12).
He is now doing further post-doctoral research.

Judy Kim was a post-doc (2008-12).
She is now a Senior Staff Scientist in the Materials Department.

Jules Gardener was a post-doc (2008-9).
She went on to do further post-doctoral research at Harvard.

Adam Shaw was an MSc student (2006-9).
He went to study for a PhD at the University of British Columbia.

Matthew Marshall was a DPhil student (2005-9).
He became a post-doc at Yale.

Karen Kruska was a visiting student (2007-8).
She went on to study for a DPhil in the Oxford Atom Probe group.

Bruce Russell was a DPhil student (2004-8).
He went to join a financial services company.

Helen Marsh was a DPhil student (2004-8).
She became a Physics teacher.

David Newell was a DPhil student (2003-7).
He went to work for DSTL.

Fabien Silly was a post-doc (2003-7).
He became an Assistant Professor at the University of Groningen.

David Deak was a DPhil student (2003-7).
He went to work for Siemens Wind Power.

Andrew Powell was a part II student (2003-4).