My research interests are in the physics and applications of low-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures (quantum wells, wires and dots). I collaborate with many UK and European universities, research institutes and companies.

An ultimate or ‘universal’ memory concept is one that combines the best features of DRAM and Flash, i.e. is non-volatile, low-voltage, non-destructively read, fast, cheap and high endurance. Implemented as RAM, such a memory would allow instantly on/off boot-free computers with unprecedented reductions in power consumption for mobile devices and computers. We have recently demonstrated room-temperature operation of non-volatile, low-voltage, compound-semiconductor memory cells with non-destructive read that have the potential to fulfil all the requirements of universal memory (patent pending). A project is currently available that will form part of this unique and exciting on-going research programme, with a particular focus on shrinking memory cells to the nanoscale. PhD projects in other topics related to the optical and transport properties of low-dimensional compound semiconductor physics and devices are also available.

My research interests are in the physics and applications of low-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures (quantum wells, wires and dots), including their study in very high magnetic fields. I collaborate with many UK and European universities, research institutes and companies.

Current research includes the study of quantum dots in different materials systems, with a particular emphasis on 'type-II' GaSb quantum dots and quantum rings embedded in GaAs. These structures confine positive charge (holes) in a very deep potential, but do not confine electrons. This makes them very different from conventional 'type-I' quantum dots that confine both electrons and holes. Besides their unusual physical properties, GaSb quantum dots also have applications in a wide range of areas including solar cells, single-photon LEDs and lasers.

We are also pioneering the development of fast, low-voltage non-volatile memories based on III-V hetereostructures, as a potential candidate 'universal memory' that could be used either as active memory or for data storage.

Other work includes transport properties of two-dimensional electrons in GaSb/AlGaSb heterojunctions and confinement properties of 'conventional' InAs/GaAs quantum dots.

I studied at the University of Southampton and did a PhD and a postdoc at the University of Exeter, before moving to the European mainland. There I briefly worked in Paris, and then at the KU Leuven, Belgium for nearly 10 years, where I investigated semiconductor nanostructures in very high magnetic fields (up to 50 T). I returned to the UK to join the Physics Department in Lancaster in June 2006.