Head of Department

Research Interests

My research focuses on; (i) understanding, controlling and exploiting the properties of colour centres and dopant atoms in diamond (Quantum Technology); (ii) developing sensors that exploit the extreme and unique combination of properties offered by diamond, and; (iii) developing new techniques in magnetic and optical spectroscopy.

Mark was an undergraduate at Warwick University (1983-1986), and studied for his doctorate in the Clarendon Laboratory Oxford (1986-1989) under the supervision of Prof Michael Baker. He has worked in the USA (1990-1991), and held academic posts at Oxford University (1992-1999; Lecturer in Physics and Dean of University College, Oxford) and King’s College London (1999-2002) before returning to Warwick University in 2002, where he now holds a Chair in Experimental Physics. Mark has published over 150 papers and patents, supervised more than 30 PhD students, a sustained track record of research funding (e.g. active projects total over £10 million of funding) and a strong track record of working with industry. Mark has won both university-level and departmental teaching prizes and is strong advocate of Research led Teaching.

Mark is currently Director of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Diamond Science and Technology (DST) and as such responsible for the overall management and delivery this programme ( supporting over 60 MSc + PhD students), which is a collaboration between 8 partner university and over 20 companies. The DST CDT’s goal is to train students with a skill set that matches the interdisciplinary nature of research required to, in collaboration with industry, establish the UK as a front runner in the development and exploitation of emerging synthetic diamond based technologies (www.DST-DTC.ac.uk).

Mark has appeared on the BBC’s Bang Goes the Theory and Radio 4 talking about the synthesis of diamond and the high-tech applications of lab-grown diamond, and with Prof Julie Macpherson co-organised exhibitions highlighting the extraordinary properties of lab grown diamond at the 2016 Royal Society Summer Exhibition and 2015 Science Museum Lates.

Write to:

Department of Physics,
University of Warwick,
Coventry, CV4 7AL

Contact Details:

Links:

www.dst-dtc.ac.uk go.warwick.ac.uk/diamond