4 October 2013 12:37

A Lancaster University researcher who works with the new wonder material graphene has been awarded a prestigious research fellowship by the Royal Society.

Dr Leonid Ponomarenko carries out research into materials and devices assembled on demand from graphene and other atomic planes.

He said: “Physicists from Lancaster have made a huge contribution to the theory of graphene. I see my mission as a University Research Fellow in expanding experimental activities in this exciting and rapidly developing field. One of my tasks is to create electronic devices with novel functionalities combining graphene with other layered materials. The state-of-the-art nanofabrication facility at the Lancaster Quantum Technology Centre will be used extensively for achieving this goal."

Dr Ponomarenko is one of 41 new University Research Fellows (URFs) for 2013 announced by The Royal Society.

The scientists started to take up their new posts at institutions across the UK at the start of October.

The University Research Fellowship scheme aims to provide outstanding scientists, who have the potential to become leaders in their chosen fields, with the opportunity to build an independent research career. The scheme is extremely competitive and URFs are expected to be strong candidates for permanent posts in universities at the end of their fellowships.

The newly appointed URFs are working on a wide variety of projects including exploring the missing link in galaxy formation, deep brain tissue imaging using nanodiamond, and the biomechanics of insect flight.