Julia Parker

Julia is Science Group Leader and a Beamline Scientist for the hard X-ray nanoprobe, Beamline I14. Julia joined I14 in 2012 after working as a Senior Support Scientist for the high resolution powder diffraction beamline (I11) at Diamond. She completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2007, studying adsorption at the solid-liquid interface. Julia’s current research interests lie in the area of biomineralisation, using synchrotron techniques to unveil details of the structure of calcium carbonates formed by organisms such as shells and studying the crystallisation and formation pathways of calcium carbonates in the presence of additives

Calcium Carbonate Systems and Biomineralisation

Biomineralisation is the process by which living organisms produce composites of minerals such as calcium carbonate or calcium phosphates with organic macromolecules. The minerals can form skeletal functions, such as bone, or be structural, as in sea shells. These biocomposite materials have complex architectures that are closely controlled from the nanoscale upwards, combined both strength and fracture resistance.Understanding the design, synthesis and transformation of these natural materials is therefore an important component in the development of new bio-medical framework materials as well as stronger structural composites for other engineering and domestic applications. The use of advanced X-ray synchrotron techniques can be applied to these systems to characterise these materials in greater detail and further our fundamental understanding.

Sample Environments for the X-ray Nanoprobe

Julia is working to develop in situ sample environments for use on the Hard X-ray nanoprobe. Sample environments for liquids/gas/electrochemistry are being designed, in collaboration with users and ePSIC  based on the MEMS technology used for TEM sample environments.