Mr Mohamed Mohsen Abdelaziz Awad

Mohamed is a PhD student working on alternative thin films for spin Seebeck devices (thermoelectrics, magnetism and spin Seebeck effect). He has experience in the development of nanomaterials, solar cells and thermoelectrics. Currently awaiting his viva he now works for Edwards Vacuum.

Mr Jordan Harknett

Jordan is a final year PhD student using density functional theory to investigate the impact of disorder on the bandstructure of heusler alloys.

Mr Amir Mehrnejat

Amir is a final year PhD student who is working on investigating new materials and devices for spintronics. This includes manipulating 2D heterostructures such as graphene. Primary supervisor is Dr Fasil Dejene.

Dr Arthur Coveney

Arthur was a PhD student working in the additive manufacturing CDT at Loughborough, investigating new materials for additive manufacturing. He obtained his PhD in 2021 and is currently lead coordinator of the newly installed thin film and lithography lab.

Previous staff and students

Mr Jim McMahon

Jim was an MSc student developing the harmonic Hall effect measurement as part of his final year project and continuing as a research assistant from October-December 2021. This involved modification of LabVIEW code, integrating with an Arduino unit and completing standardisation measurements. He went on to take a research technician position at Herriot Watt University.

Dr Guru Venkat

Selected publications:

Measurement of the heat flux normalised spin Seebeck coefficient of thin films as a function of temperature, Rev. Sci. Instr. 91, 073910 (2020)

Magnon diffusion lengths in bulk and thin film Fe₃O₄ for spin Seebeck applications, Phys. Rev. Mat. 4, 075402 (2020)

Spin Seebeck effect in polycrystalline yttrium iron garnet pellets prepared by the solid-state method, EPL 126 37001 (2019)

Dr Venkat graduated with a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in 2018.  He was hired on an EPSRC funded project for measuring the spin Seebeck effect (SSE) in bulk single and polycrystalline materials as well as thin films 2018-2020. Dr Venkat currently works at University of Sheffield.

Dr Christopher Cox

Selected publications:

Measurement of the heat flux normalised spin Seebeck coefficient of thin films as a function of temperature, Rev. Sci. Instr. 91, 073910 (2020)

Anomalous Nernst effect in Co₂MnSi thin films, J. Phys. D 53 035005 (2019)

Dr Cox graduated with a PhD in Experimental Physics from Loughborough University in 2018. His thesis summarised work on fabricating and developing Heusler alloy thin films and multilayers for waste heat energy harvesting based on the spin Seebeck effect. He was employed 2018-2021 on an EPSRC funded project for measuring the spin Seebeck effect in thin films, in particular ferrites and heuslers. This included synchrotron and neutron reflectivity experiments to probe magnetisation as a function of depth and proximity induced effects. Dr Cox currently works at NPL.

Dr Laura Stuffins

Magnetic and structural properties of CoFeB thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition, Materials Research Express, 7 106406 (2020)

Laura completed her PhD using XMCD to investigate magnetic thin films for superconducting spintronics in 2020. Primary supervisor was Dr N. Banerjee.

Dr Will Huish

Transformational Effects of Applying Systems Engineering in Laboratory Scientific Research, IEEE Systems Journal, 13 1924-1935 (2019)

Dr Huish completed his PhD in the additive manufacturing CDT at Loughborough in 2020. He was investigating the application of 3D printing to quantum technologies, including the emerging field of quantum systems engineering. Primary supervisor was Dr Dan Engstrom.

Ms Saloni Saloni

Saloni was a MSc Advanced Physics student working on the project ‘Tandem Type Perovskite Solar Cell’.  The aim of this is to generate data flow by light using Li-Fi technology (a Visible Light Communications (VLC) system) powered by a Solar cell. Currently, she is studying Perovskites as the functional layer of a Tandem type solar cell. She has experience in electronics and knows how to develop integrated circuits on Proteus Simulation, DipTrace and on PCB single and double-sided layout.

Mr Nikhil Suchak

Nikhil was a final year MPhys Engineering Physics undergraduate, returning from a year in industry, investigating the spin Seebeck effect in alternative alloys. These thin films will first be characterized to identify their physical parameters, before conducting electrical and magnetic measurements to calculate the spin Seebeck coefficient. Should this work be successful, a potential device may have been found that can be industrialised for thermoelectric applications.

Mrs Tracy Rose

Spin Seebeck effect in polycrystalline yttrium iron garnet pellets prepared by the solid-state method, EPL 126 37001 (2019)

Tracy was a MPhys final year project student working on preparation of polycrystalline YIG pellets and characterisation of the spin Seebeck effect. She went on to train as a Clinical Scientist in Medical Physics Radiotherapy.

Mr David Tatnell

Co2MnSi: Pt multilayers for giant spin Seebeck devices, Spintronics X 10357 1035731 (2017)

David was a final year MPhys undergraduate working on magnetothermoelectric measurements of heusler thin films. He went on to start a PhD at University of Exeter.

Mr Jake Zipfel

Demonstration of polycrystalline thin film coatings on glass for spin Seebeck energy harvesting, Phys. Stat. Sol., RRL 10 613-617 (2016)

Jake was a final year MPhys Engineering Physics undergraduate working on magnetoresistance and magnetometry measurements of magnetite thin films. He went on to start a PhD at University of Cambridge.