University of Cambridge academic promotions 2020

Nikos Nikiforakis, Department of Physics

Nikos leads the Laboratory for Scientific Computing group. His research interests are on the development and application of numerical algorithms and High Performance Computing methods for the simultaneous solution of the complex systems of nonlinear partial differential equations for the direct numerical simulation of four states of matter (Computational Multiphysics).

Silvia Vignolini, Department of Chemistry

The Vignolini group's research now involves the study of structural colour in nature, cellulose nanocrystals self-assembly, hydroxypropyl cellulose self-assembly and light propagation in complex structures. The research is located at the interface of chemistry, physics and biology.

Michael De Volder, Department of Engineering

Michaël leads the NanoManufacturing group. The research activities focus on the development of technologies to structure nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, and metal oxide nanocrystals into well defined superstructures. These may find application in sensors, electronics, catalysis, energy storage, water purification, and smart materials.

Hugo Bronstein, Department of Chemistry 

Hugo's group researches the synthesis of novel conjugated materials for use in organic solar cells, light emitting diodes and transistors. The group is particularly interested in synthesizing materials that help understand and utilise triplet excited states (eg. singlet fission, upconversion, and reverse intersystem crossing) due to their unique and fascinating properties.

Shailaja Fennel, Department of Land Economy

Shailaja's research interests include institutional reform and collective action, food production and rural development; gender norms and gender gaps in development interventions, and provision of public goods and the role of partnerships. Her research also includes rural-urban transformations and the challenges for sustainable cities, as well as renewable energy and sustainable development.

Sander van der Linden, Department of Psychology

Sander's research is broadly interested in social norms and social influence processes, human altruism and prosociality, and the psychology of risk, judgment, and decision-making. This includes a) social influence process and how people gain resistance to persuasion and b) how people form (mis)perceptions of the social world, emergence of social norms in shaping human cooperation and conflict in real-world collective action problems such as climate change and the spread of fake news and misinformation.