Ian Ford's home page
I am a theorist in the Condensed Matter and Materials Physics group
(CMMP) in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UCL, and a Principal
Investgator in the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN). I work on topics in
phase transitions, particularly in the area of aerosol physics (the
study of small particles suspended in a gas). This is a relatively young,
interdisciplinary field involving aspects of atmospheric physics, fundamental
condensed matter physics, and materials science. I have also studyed phase
transitions in colloids, which are particles suspended in a liquid phase
host, and in complex biological molecules. I have a fundamental interest in the
character of entropy production in non-equilibrium processes.
I have a history of
involvement in a number of other areas of research. After a first degree in
Physics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University in 1984, I started my
research career as an elementary particle theorist working for a DPhil in
quantum chromodynamics at Oxford University. I then took a job in the
Theoretical Physics Division, at Harwell Laboratory (then part of the UK Atomic
Energy Authority). Over eight years 1987-1995 the experience transmuted me into
a condensed matter physicist, with particular interests in aerosol science. I
made a return to the academic life with a part-time Royal Society Industrial
Fellowship in the Materials Department at Oxford University 1993-1996, and then
opted for academia full time when I took a job in the CMMP at the beginning of
1996 as Senior Research Fellow. I became a Reader in 2003 and a Professor in
2007.
The main thread which runs
through my career is nucleation. This is the thermally activated process that
allows condensation or freezing to take place. A successful description of it
requires a knowledge of the behaviour of condensed matter at the level of small
molecular clusters. I have studied the phenomenon of droplet nucleation from
supersaturated vapours, the process of nucleation of crystalline diamond during
thin film growth, the process of freezing of ice from water, and more recently,
the various phase transformations that take place in colloids; particles
suspended in a liquid. The research problems I encounter are fascinating and
also practical, which is an attractive mixture.
In the late 1990s I
discovered the second nucleation theorem. Such theorems are theoretical
results can be used to analyse experimental data (for the rate of formation of
droplets from supersaturated vapours, for example) in order to extract the
properties of small molecular clusters. I was able to obtain some first
indications of the binding energies of clusters of organic molecules as small
as six molecules in size. For this work, I received the Smoluchowski Award at
the 1999 European Aerosol Conference, a prize for contributions to aerosol
science.
I have also developed
computer simulation methods to study the properties of molecular clusters.
These are delicate structures requiring delicate simulation techniques. The
fundamental contributions we make are towards understanding how to categorise a
bound cluster. This is not an easy task in view of the fact that the clusters
have short lifetimes before breaking apart. There are a number of ways to get at
the relative stability of a cluster, and I have tried several, including Monte
Carlo, molecular dynamics, stochastic dynamics, phenomenological etc.
I am the President of the
UK Aerosol Society, and a member of the board of the European Aerosol Assembly
and the International Aerosol Research Assembly.
I am married with two
children and live in Buckinghamshire.
People
I work/worked with:
Hanna Vehkamäki (former
Postdoctoral Fellow: Monte Carlo simulations of clusters, development of
nucleation theorems)
Michael Knott (former
EPSRC PhD student: phases of charged colloids)
Jayesh Bhatt (former EPSRC
PhD student: formation and surface chemistry of interstellar dust)
Shahid Hussain (former DERA
PhD student: electromagnetic properties of colloids)
Sarah Harris (former
Postdoctoral Fellow: molecular dynamics simulations of liquid clusters; protein
aggregation)
Sukina Natarajan (former
NERC PhD student: freezing processes in the atmosphere)
Sascha Khakshouri (former
PhD student: density functional methods in statistical mechanics)
Hoi Yu Tang (PhD student:
stability of molecular clusters)
Christiane
Losert-Valiente-Kroon (PhD student: stochastic description of nucleation
processes and chemical reactions)
Teaching
I have taught Solid State
Physics to undergraduates and liquid state theory to graduate students.
I currently teach the
mathematics of stochastic dynamics to third year undergraduates (PHAS3423).
Starting in 2008-9 shall be
teaching Statistical Thermodynamics to second year undergraduates (PHAS2228).
Publications
Other
links