I am a graduate student in condensed matter physics in a joint position between the University of Warwick and Diamond Light Source. My research explores a group of van der Waals (vdW) materials capable of being transformed into a 2D form through exfoliation. The objective is to design specialized equipment and sample configurations to facilitate in situ strain-dependent electronic structure measurements. We aim to conduct proof-of-concept experiments to determine strain-induced changes in the band structure and study strain-driven phase transitions.