Dr David Stothard

After completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Essex, Colchester, in 1997, David moved to the University of St Andrews to undertake a PhD in Laser Physics and Nonlinear Optics under Professor Malcolm H Dunn. Several postdoctoral position followed, both in the Dunn research group and the schools' Photonics Innovation Centre, where he worked upon several industrially funded projects. He has always been highly enthusiastic about the practical application of his research and has worked closely with several industrial and governmental organisations to ensure maximum societal impact of the lasers systems upon which he has worked. He is now a SUPA-funded knowledge transfer technologist, there to help the translation of technology originating within the laboratories of SUPA into the commercial sector.

Professor Charles Cockell

Charles Cockell is a geomicrobiologist/astrobiologist at the Open University. His academic interests encompass microbe-mineral interactions and their implications for life in extreme environments and the habitability of extraterrestrial environments, and microbiology in the space environment.

Dr Allan Colquhoun

The SUPA Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be hosted in St. Andrews on Wednesday 30th March 2011. It will be a interesting day of talks and events with lots of opportunity for networking.

The program for Wednesday, 30th March 2011

• 10:00-10:45   KT Speaker (Jeannine Sargent, Independent Director, SiOnyx, formerly CEO of Oerlikon Solar)
• 11:15-12:30   PALS meeting. New SUPA appointments present themselves.

In parallel:

• 11:15-12:45   Selected SUPA PhD students present their research.
• 14:00-17:30   4 eminent speakers, 40 min slots each
  • Jochen Guck, Cambridge, "Photonics in Neuroscience"
  • Mike Charlton, Swansea, "Trapping of Anti-Hydrogen"
  • Roy Sambles, Exeter, "From butterflies to battleships"
  • Charles Cockell, Edinburgh, "Astrobiology. In Search of Life's Boundaries"

During the day we will have opportunity to welcome our new CEO, Professor Jim Hough.

Theme Leader: Aurora Sicilia-Aguilar (a.siciliaaguilar@dundee.ac.uk)

SUPA achieves excellence across a wide range of topics in Astronomy and Space Sciences.

Centres of Astronomy and Space Sciences include:

Dundee  Magnetohydrodynamics and Astrophysics 

Edinburgh IfA (Institute for Astronomy) 
Edinburgh ATC (Astronomical Technology Centre)

St.Andrews Astronomy Group 
St.Andrews Solar Physics Group
Glasgow IGR (Institute for Gravitational Research)
Glasgow Astronomy and Astrophysics Group

Download the Astronomy and Space Sciences flyer:

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Graduate School Forms and Resources

Soft materials for enhanced energy storage and conversion

Energy storage and conversion

Organic Solar Cells

Organic semiconductors are plastic-like materials that combine novel semiconducting optoelectronic properties with scope for simple fabrication. Organic light-emitting diodes are now commercial display devices, and are being developed towards lighting applications. Organic solar cells are also very promising and an important field of research in the SUPA energy theme. The simple processing of these materials – for example by printing processes means that plastic solar cells could be mass produced at low cost and with low embedded energy. Organic semiconductors are very strong absorbers of light, so a film only 100 nm thick can absorb most of the light falling on it. SUPA research into organic solar cells can look at all aspects of materials and devices, from fundamental photophysics through structural studies to device performance and testing.