Research Interests

A decade of responsibility for Bowland College as Principal interrupted my research activities, formerly related to crystal growth and characterisation of III-V compound semiconductors, in particular leading to development of a deuterium implantation processes for device isolation, patented world-wide in collaboration with A.E.R.E., Harwell. More recent work was directed towards the fabrication of tandem solar cells to power Earth orbiting satellites, and work on radiation damage related effects in these. However, the semiconductor research activity lapsed during my period as College Principal, and I am now developing other activities, including work on Scanning Thermal Microscopy.

Administrative Duties and Teaching Duties

I am the Lancaster Project Officer for the “2+2 Degree Scheme”, run in collaboration with the Open University. My other administrative duties in the Physics Department mainly relate to Equal Opportunities and acting as Director of Study for Visiting Students from Abroad and Combined/Natural Science majors. I am also involved in teaching on various modules, including in first year "Vector Methods and Vector Algebra" and in second year “Relativity” and “Literature Search”.

Open University Duties

I am an Associate Lecturer with the Open University, and have also been employed by them in various consultancies, including authorship of course material, course auditing and tutor monitoring. From its start in 1982 I was involved in S271 "Discovering Physics" as a Course Tutor in the North-West Region and at the annual Summer School as a Tutor, occasionally acting as the Course Director. Now I am employed on S207 "The Physical World", for which I have written the sections on classical theory of gases and solid state physics.

Currently I am Chair of the Lancashire and Cumbria Branch of the Institute of Physics. As Membership Secretary of the British Association for Crystal Growth (1990-2004) I served on the national committee, and I was formerly the Chairman (1985-88), Honorary Secretary, etc. Duties there included organisation of many National and International Conferences, e.g. acting as Chairman of the 1997 Annual Meeting in York.

Private interests include collecting antique maps, and performing cartographic research. I mounted three large exhibitions of maps (mainly of Lancashire) in the University Library South Room in 1987, 1989 and 1994, and an exhibition "Maps as Art" in the Scott Gallery in 1994. I lecture on historical cartography to local history societies, etc., several times a year. A book on the antique printed maps of Lancashire is in preparation.