Membership

Dr Arnaud Basle
X-ray facilities manager
Newcastle Structural Biology Laboratory
University of Newcastle   
Medical School
ICAMB
Framlington place
NE2 4HH

Email: Arnaud.basle@ncl.ac.uk
Website: http://sbl.ncl.ac.uk

Manager of X-ray facilities at Newcastle University.
Research interest include:

• Software development
• Metal homeostasis and storage
• Carbohydrates binding proteins and modifying enzymes
• Crystallization techniques

Dr David Briggs
Senior Laboratory Research Scientist
Signalling and Structural Biology Lab
The Francis Crick Institute
1 Midland Road
London
NW1 1AT 

Email: david.briggs@crick.ac.uk 
Website: https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/find-a-researcher/david-briggs 

In charge of X-ray crystallography for McDonald group.

Interests include:

• Extracellular mammalian protein structure determination
• Drug design
• Protein glycan interactions

Techniques:

• X-ray Crystallography
• Small angle X-ray scattering

Dr. Tim Knowles
Lecturer in Biophysics
School of Biosciences
University of Birmingham
Birmingham
B15 2TT

Email: t.j.knowles@bham.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5881

• Elucidation of the mechanisms of outer membrane protein folding in Gram-negative bacteria
• Understanding Gram-negative lipid transport mechanisms.

• Small angle scattering, reflectometry, NMR, Electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography

Dr. Arwen Tyler

University Academic Fellow (Assistant Professor US equivalent)

School of Food Science and Nutrition

University of Leeds

Leeds LS2 9JT

Email: a.i.i.tyler@leeds.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0)113 343 1423

Research interests include:

• Membrane biophysics – lipid phase behavior and their interaction with biomolecules
• Targeted and stimuli responsive nanocarriers
• Dynamic structural transformations in soft matter using high pressure or pH

Techniques include: Static and time-resolved Small Angle X-ray/ Neutron Scattering, GI-SAS, cryo-TEM

Prof Neil Telling
Professor of Biomedical NanoPhysics

Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine

Keele University
Stoke-on-Trent
ST4 7QB

Email: n.d.telling@keele.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1782 674968

Research interests include:

• X-ray spectromicroscopy studies of metals in brain tissue related to neurodegenerative diseases.
• Magnetic spectroscopy studies on biogenic and synthetic nanoscale magentic structures.
• Preparation and applications of magnetic nanoparticles for applications in biomedicine. 
• X-ray reflectivity and magnetic scattering from thin film structures.

Dr Marcus Newton
Lecturer in Physics
Physics & Astronomy
University of Southampton
Southampton, SO17 1BJ

Email: M.C.Newton@soton.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)23 8059 7548
 

• Coherent X-ray Imaging.
• Ultra-fast processes in strongly correlated materials.
• Advanced materials for renewable energy applications.
• Numerical Optimisation & Inverse Problems.
• Software Development

Dr Ann Chippindale

Department of Chemistry

University of Reading

Whiteknights

Reading RG6 6AD

UK

Email: a.m.chippindale.rdg.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 118 3788448

Research interests include the synthesis of new inorganic materials, in particular cyanide-based frameworks and zeolite materials. Characterisation methods include X-ray and neutron diffraction and inelastic neutron scattering.

Dr. Enrique Jimenez-Melero

Senior Lecturer in Radiation Materials Science

Materials Performance Centre

Department of Materials

University of Manchester

Oxford Road

Manchester M13 9PL

Email: enrique.jimenez-melero@manchester.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 161 306 8590

Enrique's research focuses on understanding and predicting the phase stability, micromechanics, work hardenability, and radiation tolerance of complex (ultra-) high-strength steels and refractory alloys for structural applications in nuclear fission & fusion power plants, and also in the automotive and aerospace industries.

His group performs real-time synchrotron X-ray power diffraction under mechanical stresses and elevated temperatures, and also single crystal 3-D X-ray diffraction (3DXRD) experiments on polycrystalline materials. This synchrotron-based work is complemented with analytical electron microscopy, neutron scattering and positron annihilation spectroscopy. Their specific research on nuclear materials revolves around understanding the radiation-induced microstructural damage and its impact on the structural integrity of reactor components, together with radiation protection and the development of safe systems of work to produce, handle and test radioactive material.

Dr Andrew Thomas
Research Fellow
School of Materials  & Photon Science Institute,
The University of Manchester,
Oxford Road,
Manchester M13 9PL

Email: andrew.g.thomas@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Gavin Bell

Department of Physics

University of Warwick

Coventry

CV4 7AL

Email: gavin.bell@warwick.ac.uk 

I work in materials physics and lead the Surface, Interface & Thin Film Group at Warwick. The focus of my research is the growth by molecular beam epitaxy of functional materials, applying the techniques of surface science to understand epitaxial crystal growth. The systems include topological and magnetic materials for spintronics, 2D materials like graphene and boron nitride, and surface-modified photocathode.

Prof Andrea Russell

Professor of Physical Electrochemistry

School of Chemistry

University of Southampton

Highfield

Southampton SO17 1BJ

Email: a.e.russell@soton.ac.uk

As a member of the DUC, I am particularly interested in hearing from users regarding the development of facilities, sample environments, equipment, and data analysis codes. In my view the DUC should be the voice of the user community in helping to direct resources in collaboration with the science teams at Diamond.

Dr Imad Ahmed

Research Fellow in Experimental Nanochemistry

Department of Earth Sciences

University of Oxford

South Parks Road

Oxford, OX1 3AN

Email: Imad.ahmed@earth.ox.ac.uk

My research interest falls in four key areas: (1) physicochemical interactions at the bio-nano interface, (2) relationship between nanostructure, bioavailability and their ultimate health implications, (3) development of chemical speciation sensors for environmental and industrial applications, and (4) the application of synchrotron radiation-based spectroscopy and scattering methods to problems in environmental chemistry, biogeochemistry and environmental health.

Dr Sean Connell
Sean Connell, PhD
CICbioGUNE
Parque Tecnológico de Vizcaya, Ed. 800
48160 Derio

Email: sconnell@cicbiogune.es

Dr Jamie Blaza

Lecturer in cryoEM

York Structural Biology Laboratory,

Department of Chemistry,

University of York

Email: jamie.blaza@york.ac.uk

Tel: 01904 325887

Research techniques include:

• CryoEM (historically single particle analysis, hopefully in the future tomography)
• Developing better methods for cryoEM grid preparation
• Membrane protein biochemistry

Research interests include:

• Bacterial bioenergetics (tuberculosis, Gram-positive species)
• Antibiotic action

Dr Kevin Edmonds

Associate Professor in Physics

School of Physics and Astronomy

University of Nottingham

Nottingham NG7 2RD

Email: Kevin.Edmonds@nottingham.ac.uk

Tel: +44 115 8467058

My research focuses on the development of metallic and semiconducting thin film materials and devices, and the exploration of their electronic, spintronic and structural properties.

Dr. Robin Perry

Principal Research Associate
London Centre for Nanotechnology and UCL Centre for Materials Discovery
UCL, London

Email: robin.perry@ucl.ac.uk

My research interests include

• Quantum materials: bulk properties and diffraction studies. Magnetically ordered states.
• Transparent conducting properties. Transport measurements on new post transition metal oxides.
• Crystal growth of complex materials. Techniques include floating zone, top seeded growth, flux growth and chemical vapour transport.
• Uniaxial strain deformation in single crystals magnets.