George’s PhD work fitted into part of the “Pretamag” project. George investigated the phenomenon of magnetostriction which is the change of shape that can occur when a magnetic material is placed in a magnetic field. It has many applications in sensor devices and there is a need for a deeper fundamental understanding at a microscopic level for future device design.

George achieved some excellent results which describe very clearly the hitherto unexplained way in which the magnetostriction of iron changes when it is heated up and also what happens when iron is alloyed with other elements https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.99.054415. With Chris Patrick and Julie Staunton, he also completed work on some rare earth - iron magnets that show some of the best magnetostrictive properties which will also shortly be reported in the scientific literature (Physical Review Applied). George's thesis sets out the context, describes his original findings and assesses the next steps for the field. He submitted the thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in April this year and in June underwent a viva examination with 2 academic examiners who recommended that he be awarded the degree.