Annual Review 2024-2025

D I A MO N D L I G H T S O U R C E L I M I T E D 03 C O N T E N T S CEO Welcome In my CEO report last year, I reflected on my first six months in post and noted that the real journey to tackle the many challenges ahead had already begun. In the last year, we have made progress against a number of my key priorities. Over the past year, we completed an analysis of our current standing that brought together insights from across the organisation, our user community, and key stakeholders. This process was instrumental in defining the “Big Dream” for Diamond which helped define the core of our new long-term strategy and aligning our priorities with the evolving needs of science, industry, and society. As a result of this new long-term strategy, we emphasise world-class science and innovation, world-class support of users, all this through world-class operations and working as one engaged Diamond team. The increased emphasis on innovation is delivered not only through our strong industrial science programme but also through measurable impact and by enhancing our support for translational research and industrial partnerships. This will ensure that Diamond’s capabilities are more accessible and responsive to the needs of UK industry and global collaborators. These efforts also include the development of new mechanisms for collaboration with industry and expanding our innovation pipeline. We are also embedding impact more deeply into our more unified scientific strategy—ensuring that our work not only advances fundamental discoveries but also contributes to solving real-world challenges that are at the core of the UK Government priorities in health, energy, environment, and economic growth through advanced manufacturing and industry support. This renewed focus will guide our decisions, shape our investments, and strengthen Diamond’s role as a national asset delivering value across the UK’s innovation landscape. To deliver this strategy, the Diamond management, in partnership with its advisory committees, is undertaking a thorough portfolio review to ensure that our capabilities are aligned with our strategic goals, with the users’ needs and can deliver maximum impact. Over the past year, we have also initiated an organisational examination of how Diamond operates. This initiative, titled “Shaping our Future”, aims to review Contents 03 Foreword 03 CEO We l come 05 Cha i r ’s Repor t 06 Adv i sory Bodi es 07 Key facts and f igures for 2024-25 09 Biologi ca l Cryo- Imaging Group 12 Crysta l lography Group 15 Imaging and Mi croscopy Group 18 Macromol ecul ar Crysta l lography Group 21 Magnet i c Mater i a l s Group 24 Sof t Condensed Mat ter Group 27 Spect roscopy Group 31 St ructures and Sur faces Group 34 Opt i cs and Met rology 37 Indust r i a l Li a i son Group 40 S c i ent i f i c Sof tware, Cont rol s and Computat ion 43 Machine, Bui ldings and Inf rast ructure 46 Di amond- I I update 48 Engaging wi th Di amond Light Source 50 I nst rument Deve lopment and Techni ca l Summary