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Lancaster graduate Nick Kay has won the Best Physics Student of the Year SET (Science, Engineering and Technology) Award.

His innovative project on the revolutionary new material graphene impressed the judges at The Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Student of the Year Awards, which recognise the achievements of some of the brightest undergraduates in Europe.

The awards ceremony at Kensington town hall in London was attended by senior figures from industry and government as well as the world of academia. 

Nick said: “I was surprised to have won but it’s great.  It’s already opened up a lot of doors because there were so many industry people at the ceremony and I was chatting to some of them at my table.”

His winning project was entitled “Nanomechanical properties of free and supported graphene films in liquid environment using scanning force microscopy”. 

“I really enjoyed being at Lancaster University because the Physics Department is a very friendly place to work. The teaching standards are also very high as lecturers operate an open door policy and teach with a real enthusiasm which in many cases rubs off on the students.”

Nick is the second MPhys project student from Dr Oleg Kolosov's group nominated for such an award, with only three students from all UK Physics departments shortlisted annually.

Dr Kolosov said: “I am really happy for Nick, he has all the traits of becoming a great researcher, with this recognition being a great achievement for him and for Lancaster Physics.”

Nick is now a PhD student at the North West Nanoscience Doctoral Training Centre  NOWNanoDTC, a joint initiative between Lancaster University and the University of Manchester.