Outline
Biography
I was born in England and received most of my formal university
education there during the 1960s and 1970s. First I was an undergraduate at Cambridge University, obtaining a B.A. Honors degree
in Mathematics and Physics. Then for my doctoral work I transferred to Oxford University, where I carried out research
into quantum field theoretical methods in magnetism under the supervision of
Dr. Robin Stinchcombe at the Department of
Theoretical Physics, leading to a D.Phil. degree. I also subsequently obtained
a M.A. degree from Cambridge University.
After obtaining my doctorate, I worked for a year at
the Plessey Research Laboratories, a large UK-based electronics company. There
I carried out research into the operation of novel semiconductor devices,
particularly avalanche diodes. I then took up a faculty appointment as the equivalent
of Assistant/Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Essex. I remained there until
1987, apart from periods of sabbatical leave and the award of a one-year
Nuffield Foundation Fellowship. The sabbatical leaves were spent at RCA
Research Laboratories in Switzerland, at the University of Münster
in Germany, and at the Jülich
Research Center (KFA) in Germany. The Nuffield Fellowship was spent in part
at the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa. During this time my main
research was concerned with the magnetic and optical properties of solids,
while I also acted as a consultant on semiconductor devices to the UK Ministry
of Defence and to Plessey Research Laboratories.
In 1987 I moved to Canada to take up my appointment at
the University of Western Ontario where I am now a Professor in the Department
of Physics & Astronomy. My research interests continue to be mainly in the
area of optical, magnetic, and electronic properties of solids, but the focus
is increasingly on nanostructured materials, surfaces
and interfaces (including some biological systems), and on the nonlinear
behavior of these systems. Descriptions of my research and publications are
given in other sections.
Soon after arriving at Western I was involved in
setting up the Collaborative Ph.D. Program in Theoretical Physics and I served
as its first Director in 1990-92. Then in 1994-5 I was Acting Chair of the
(former) Department of Physics. Subsequently I completed a five-year term as
the Chair of the new combined Department of Physics & Astronomy from
1998-2003. During this time we introduced new undergraduate degree programs in
materials science and medical physics. During 2004 I was involved in establishing
the Western Institute for Nanomaterials Science
(WINS) and I served as its Director until 2006. I was also Assistant Dean in
the Faculty of Science from 2004 to 2006, with responsibilities mainly for
graduate and international research.
Subsequently I was the Associate Dean, Research, in the Faculty of Science at Western from 2006 to
2010.
On the personal side, I am married to Sandra Fox and
we live in London, Ontario. Sandra is a
graduate of King’s University College (at the University of Western Ontario)
and of Wilfrid Laurier University. I have two sons,
Duncan and Magnus, and two stepsons, Paul and Denny. My recreational activities
include reading traveling, golf, curling and skiing.
Back to my main web page