From 3-7 June 2019, Edinburgh welcomes hundreds of scientists from around the world for the International Soft Matter Conference (ISMC).
Held under the auspices of the SoftComp Network of Excellence, whose mission is to provide a sustainable environment for the integration of leading European research groups in the field of soft matter composites, this Edinburgh meeting is the fifth in a triennial series that is now well established as a main international conference in this interdisciplinary field.
Soft matter scientists study ‘goo’ of all kinds. Familiar examples range from shampoo and toothpaste through molten chocolate and bread dough to paints and potter’s clay. All are liquids with ‘bits’ dispersed in them, which gives them interesting, and highly applicable, flow properties – non-drip paint is a good example (is it a solid or a liquid?!). Soft matter science underpins the industrial formulation of such products, which contribute around £180 billion annually to the UK economy alone. Moreover, living things are essentially built from forms of soft matter come alive, so that a significant number of soft matter scientists work on biological and medical topics. In particular, the way biological molecules assemble themselves into cells has proved to be a major inspiration to soft matter science, with many researchers focussing on mimicking biological self assembly to invent new materials. The programme of the 2019 conference reflects this huge diversity.
With successful conferences held previously in Grenoble (France, 2016), Rome (Italy, 2013), Granada (Spain, 2010) and Aachen (Germany, 2007), the spotlight is now on Edinburgh. Hosted by the School of Physics and Astronomy, its main organiser is Wilson Poon, who holds one of the most ancient chairs in the University, that of Natural Philosophy. Professor Poon said:
With all that is happening on the political scene, we in Edinburgh welcome this opportunity to demonstrate that the UK remains open and welcoming for international science.
Edinburgh, which already hosts one of the largest public science and technology festivals in Europe and with its rich history of leadership in science, will be at the forefront of international scientific exchange during the week when over 500 scientists descend onto the city to discuss goo galore!
School children and colleagues help mark Peter Higgs’ 90th birthday with a birthday card competition and celebratory dinner.
The School of Physics and Astronomy held a birthday card competition for children in nursery or primary school in Scotland, to help share information on Peter Higgs’ scientific discovery which forms part of a prominence of physics in Scotland.
Competition judges Suzanne Higgs (local artist and Peter Higgs’ daughter-in-law), Dr Christophe Englert (particle physicist and children’s author) and Dr Lily Asquith (particle physicist and outreach expert) faced a difficult task as they deliberated over the 342 entries in order to determine a winner for each category.
The winning birthday cards were presented to Peter at a birthday dinner celebration on 29 May, attended by the Prof Peter Mathieson (University Principal), Prof Arthur Trew (Head of School) and colleagues from across the School and University.
Judge Suzanne Higgs commented:
It was such an honour and pleasure to help out with the judging for the University of Edinburgh 90th Birthday card competition for Peter Higgs by Nursery and Primary schools in Scotland. There were so many fantastic entries it was so difficult to select the winners from each category, but we got there in the end.
Birthday card winning entries are:
Nursery / Primary 1 category
1st: Julian Augustine, P1, Newport Primary
2nd: Zuzia, P1, Duncow Primary
3rd: Emilie Low, Serenity Room, Arcadia Nursery
Category Nursery/School prize: Newport Primary School
Primary 2 - 4 category
1st: Chloe Robertson, P2, Newport Primary
2nd: Cameron Lock, P4, Rhu Primary
3rd: Hannah, P3, Duncan Primary
Category School prize: Rhu Primary
Primary 5 - 7 category
1st: Susanna Mackenzie, P6, Clifton Hall School
2nd: Amelia Caldwell, P7, St Patricks Primary School
3rd: Leilah Haines, P6B, Oxgangs Primary School
Category School prize: Clifton Hall School
Portrait winner:
1st: Lilly Stratton, P6, Rhu Primary
2nd: Naomi Vilas, J5, Clifton Hall School
3rd: Cara, P2, Duncow Primary
Class Prize:
Mrs Watts and P6/7, Brodick Primary School
Image gallery
The School welcomes applications from both external and internal scientists interested in applying for personal fellowships.
We are keen to attract outstanding researchers from Edinburgh and across the world to join us as Postdoctoral Fellows. We offer a high quality research environment and support for you in your fellowship application process.
Fellowship opportunities
The School operates an internal review process for the following fellowship opportunities:
- European Research Council Starting Grants
- UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships
- Royal Society University Research Fellowships
- STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships
- EPSRC Fellowships
Applications for other fellowship opportunities are welcome but are not part of this review process.
Application information
Candidates are expected to have a PhD in Physics, Astronomy or a related discipline, and in most cases a few years research experience, as well as the ability to present clear evidence of their potential to undertake leading research.
How to apply
Candidates must submit information including a research statement, CV and list of publications by noon, 17 June 2019.
Congratulations to the 15 School of Physics and Astronomy students who won an Edinburgh Award for the extra-curricular activities they were involved in this year.
The Edinburgh Award
The Edinburgh Award recognises the non-academic University activities, such as volunteering work, community activities or part time work, which some students take part in while studying at the University. The Award enables students to reflect on and develop the skills gained through taking part in such activities, and encourages them to articulate what they have gained from such activities – a skill which will be of advantage when communicating with potential employers.
Physics Outreach and Maths Buddies
The Edinburgh Award was given students for who were involved in the School’s Physics Outreach Team or the Maths Buddies scheme at a ceremony held at the Playfair Library on 22 April.
The Physics Outreach Team, led by Ogden Outreach Officer Dr. Jean-Christophe Denis, work to engage the wider community in physics and science through the delivery of educational activities. Students delivered activities at events such as the Festival of Physics, and at venues including Ocean Terminal shopping centre, and Waverley and Haymarket train stations. Students also planned and organised some of their own activities, including a weekly science club in a local primary school and high school, and an ‘after dark’ astronomy science event as part of Craigmillar Community Science Festival.
The Maths Buddies scheme, co-ordinated by Dr Kristel Torokoff who is the lecturer for Mathematics for Physics courses, enables senior students to provide support and guidance to more junior students with regards to their mathematical physics course material. Maths Buddies arrange regular sessions where junior students complete maths assignments in the company of peers, get support on course-related questions and coordinate with like-minded people who enjoy solving maths challenges. Buddies also provide guidance and answers to questions posed online, via the Facebook Group and Piazza platform.
Applications are invited for the Higgs Chair of Theoretical Physics at the University of Edinburgh. This Chair was established in recognition of the legacy of Nobel Laureate Peter Higgs, a Professor Emeritus in the School of Physics and Astronomy.
Following the discovery of the Higgs boson, the University founded the Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics to promote research excellence in theoretical physics. Our vision is to create bridges between disciplines and combine graduate education in synergy with cutting-edge research. We seek an exceptional theoretical physicist to join the Centre who will enhance and promote the quest for fundamental understanding of Nature.
The position is open to researchers in any area of theoretical physics. The Chair is expected to have a broad perspective and promote ideas that connect disciplines in physics and/or physics and mathematics. The expectation is that the Chair will provide intellectual leadership to the Centre, and may act as the next Director for a number of years.
Candidates will have an outstanding research record of international stature in theoretical physics and the vision, leadership, experience and enthusiasm to build on current strengths in maintaining and developing a leading research presence. A commitment to excellence in teaching is essential and all academic staff are expected to teach and to contribute to curriculum development at undergraduate and postgraduate level. The Higgs Chair will contribute to the life and work of the School of Physics and Astronomy, and to the Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics in particular, demonstrating a collegial approach to School, College and University-wide leadership.
The role is grade UE10 and attracts an annual salary on the professorial scale for 35 hours each week. The closing date for applications is 31 August 2019 and the vacancy reference number is 047836.
Congratulations to Dr Anna Lisa Varri who has been awarded one of the first UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowships which aim to grow the strong supply of talented individuals needed to ensure that UK research and innovation is world class. Anna Lisa’s profile has also been selected by UKRI as one the twelve inaugural case studies.
Rethinking the dynamical paradigm of low-mass stellar systems
Anna Lisa’s Fellowship focusses on some of the most ancient structures in the universe – globular clusters – dense groups of about a million stars emerged the dawn of the formation of galaxies. The new European space observatory Gaia can now observe these stellar systems with unprecedented detail and LIGO has detected gravitational waves from merging binary black holes, possibly formed in dense cluster cores. A revolution in our understanding of these building blocks of our universe has therefore started. With a combination of applied mathematics techniques and numerical simulations, Anna Lisa will study how this new-generation data can shed light on three big questions in modern astrophysics: the origin of the first stellar aggregates, the existence of intermediate-mass black holes, and the nature of dark matter.
Anna Lisa has been a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh since 2012 – first in the Applied and Computational Mathematics group of the School of Mathematics, then at the Institute for Astronomy, within School of Physics and Astronomy. She will now pursue her Fellowship research programme in collaboration with both Schools.
UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship
The scheme will help the next generation of researchers, tech entrepreneurs, business leaders and innovators get the support they need to develop their careers. Altogether the inaugural cohort of 41 early career researchers at universities across the UK will each benefit from a share of £40 million.
Colleagues at the School of Chemistry, School of Biological Sciences, and MRC Centre for Reproductive Health have also been awarded Future Leaders Fellows under the newly announced UK Government programme.
UKRI will provide up to £900 million in support over six competition rounds over three years for the Future Leaders Fellowships, typically awarding around 200 new fellows each year.
The science of what makes good chocolate has been revealed by researchers studying a 140-year-old mixing technique.
Scientists have uncovered the physics behind the process – known as conching – which is responsible for creating modern chocolate’s distinctive smooth texture.
A team led by the School of Physics and Astronomy studied mixtures resembling liquid chocolate created using the conching process, which was developed by Swiss confectioner Rodolphe Lindt in 1879. Their analysis, which involved measuring the density and flow properties of mixtures at various stages of the process, suggests how conching may have altered the physical properties of the microscopic sugar crystals and other granular ingredients of chocolate. Until now, the science behind the process was poorly understood.
The new research reveals that conching – which involves mixing ingredients for several hours – produces smooth molten chocolate by breaking down lumps of ingredients into finer grains and reducing friction between particles. Before the invention of conching, chocolate had a gritty texture. This is because the ingredients form rough, irregular clumps that do not flow smoothly when mixed with cocoa butter.
The findings may hold the key to producing confectionery with lower fat content, and could help make chocolate manufacturing more energy efficient. Their insights could also help improve processes used in other sectors that rely on the mixing of powders and liquids, such as ceramics manufacturing and cement production.
The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, involved a collaboration with researchers from New York University. The work received funding from Mars Chocolate UK and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Professor Wilson Poon, of the School of Physics and Astronomy, who led the study, said:
Conching consumes a significant amount of energy. We hope that our work can help reduce this consumption and lead to greener manufacturing of the most popular confectionary product in the world. It is also interesting that by studying a subject as practical as chocolate making, we have been able to derive new insights into the fundamental physics of how complex mixtures flow, and then use these insights to help industries very far removed from chocolate manufacturing. It is a great example of how physics can build bridges between disciplines and sectors.
The School of Physics and Astronomy has had its Athena SWAN Silver status renewed in recognition of the work we have undertaken and our continuing efforts in addressing gender equality and fostering a more inclusive working environment.
Athena SWAN is a charter established and managed by Advance HE (previously the Equality Challenge Unit) that recognises and celebrates good practices in higher education and research institutions towards the advancement of gender equality: representation, progression and success for all staff.
The School was first awarded Athena SWAN Silver status in September 2014, and continuously works to adopt the Athena SWAN charter principles within its policies, practices, action plans and culture. The School also holds an IoP Juno Champion award that recognizes and rewards physics departments that have taken action to address gender equality.
The Athena SWAN Charter covers women (and men where appropriate) in:
- academic roles in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine) as well as other subjects
- professional and support staff
- trans staff and students
In relation to their:
- representation
- progression of students into academia
- journey through career milestones
- working environment for all staff
Prof Arthur Trew, Head of School, reported:
This award reflects the widespread desire within the School to ensure that in our pursuit of excellence, we enable all to flourish. I am really pleased by the steps that we have taken and the commitment that everyone has shown. This is not the end, and we aim to improve our ways of working further over the coming years.
Dr Job Thijssen, Director of Equality & Diversity for the School said:
I am delighted that the work we have done, and continue to do, to make the School a fairer place to work has been recognised by the renewal of this award. I would like to thank members of the School’s Equality & Diversity Committee, as well as wider colleagues for their contribution and commitment to this work.
Professor Peter Higgs will celebrate his 90th birthday in May this year, and to mark this occasion, the School of Physics and Astronomy is planning a year of special events aimed at scientists, current students, alumni and the wider public.
We kicked off the series of events in January with a public talk by Nima Arkani-Hamed, renowned Professor of Physics at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and Director of the Center for Future High Energy Physics. This spectacular talk entitled “The End of Spacetime” challenged a number of standard physics principles.
At the end of January, we hosted the first “Beyond the Lab” event to bring together leading researchers and experts from industry. The event enabled valuable connections to be established and paved the way for future collaboration. It was held at The Higgs Centre for Innovation, which was established by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and University of Edinburgh after the discovery of the Higgs Boson in 2012.
In March, we held the Inaugural “Higgs Lecture”, which was made possible through the generous support of Walter Nimmo. A varied audience, from school pupils to senior professors heard from speaker Professor Gian Giudice, head of the Theory Group at CERN and prize-winning author.
We are currently running a birthday card competition which is open to all nursery and primary school children in Scotland. Studies show that children make up their minds about which subjects they like and dislike at a very young age, and through this competition we hope to raise awareness of physics and build on the local connection to Peter Higgs. Entries will be judged by Suzanne Higgs (local artist and Peter Higgs’ daughter-in-law), Christophe Englert (particle physicist and childrens’ author) and Lily Asquith (particle physicist and outreach expert). We can’t wait to see the entries!
We have a variety of further events planned for the rest of the year including an alumni event in the summer, a day of celebration at the end of September and a poster competition for secondary school pupils.
We trust that these will be fitting celebrations to mark this special year for Peter Higgs.
Topological entanglements severely interfere with important biological processes. For this reason, genomes must be kept unknotted and unlinked during most of a cell cycle. Computational evidence shows that structural-maintenance-of-chromosomes (SMC) proteins, such as cohesins and condensins, can cooperate with type II topoisomerase enzymes to establish a synergistic mechanism to resolve topological entanglements.
In each of our cells we have 2 meters of DNA stored and tightly packaged within a space that is about the width of a hair (10 µm or 0.00001 meters) (note that the thickness of DNA is about a thousand times thinner than a hair (2 nm or 0.000000002 meters).
Given such a huge length and such strong confinement, we would expect that our DNA would form complicated knots and links (a little bit like what you get when pulling headphones out of your pockets). The problem is that knots in DNA would impair vital biological processes such as gene transcription and cell division. Luckily for us, long-standing conjectures and recent evidence suggest that DNA is not heavily knotted at all.
While it is known that special proteins called topoisomerase can perform sophisticated 'topological" operations on DNA, no existing model has been able to explain how they maintain our DNA entanglement-free under the extremely confined and crowded conditions of the cell nucleus.
This latest research shows that a family of slip-link-like proteins called "Structural Maintenance of Chromosome" (SMC) can help topoisomerase to systematically resolve topological entanglements, even under physiological crowding and confinement. This slip-link protein is conjectured to act very much like a belay device for rock climbers: it links together two segments of DNA and can slide back and forth to enlarge or reduce the loop in between the linked segments. Through this action, knots or links that are caught in between the slip-link are squeezed and compressed until they are easily detectable and removable by topoisomerase, which would otherwise have a hard time to find them.
Given the ubiquity of topoisomerase and SMC proteins (which are found in virtually every life-form, from bacteria to humans), we argue that the mechanism that we uncovered in this work plays an important role throughout the cell cycle and across different organisms.
