BTM Willis Prize

​The BTM Willis Prize for 2024 has been awarded to Dr Andrew R. McCluskey, a Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Bristol, for ‘leadership in advancing neutron reflectometry analysis methods, fostering community standards and collaboration, and educating the next generation of neutron scattering users in data-centric science.’

Originally from Glasgow, Andrew enjoyed computing as a teenager, and his family tried to encourage him to study programming as a useful skill to take forward. Instead, a schoolteacher’s recommendation led him to study chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, which included a year in industry in the USA. Here, Andrew focussed on process development, where he had to complete a twice-daily synthesis and found that he preferred the final data analysis to being in the lab. It was here he decided to finally learn programming, where he was able to streamline the statistical software his role involved, which automated many of his everyday tasks to the point that half of his role was covered by the program he had designed!

At the same time during this year in industry, a colleague had considered neutron scattering at NIST as a potential tool for investigation into polymer emulsions which sparked Andrew’s interest in working at a large-scale facility. Upon returning for his final year, he applied for PhDs involving neutrons or X-rays, all the while being acutely aware of how his fellow students would have also benefitted from training in programming.

He was accepted at the University of Bath for a PhD, which would be co-funded by Diamond Light Source and involve research at ISIS. “Throughout my PhD, I was really interested in education and teaching, and I wanted to try and train chemists and fellow scientists about programming and data science”, explained Andrew. “So, I became more involved in this training at Diamond and ISIS, where data at such large-scale facilities was becoming ever more important. I was lucky that my PhD involved both neutrons and X-rays.”

Towards the end of his PhD, a colleague recommended that Andrew apply for funding to continue working with data between Diamond and ISIS, which was successful. Andrew particularly focussed on data reduction, building on his PhD research in reflectivity data analysis, using Bayesian methods and simulations. Commuting by train and bus between Harwell Campus and Bath took considerable time out of Andrew’s day, and when the COVID pandemic broke out, working from home allowed him to focus not just on analysis methods but also contribute to the foundation of the open reflectometry standards organisation (ORSO) which strives to improve standardisation across neutron and X-ray reflectometry. After over a year at Diamond, Andrew became an instrument data scientist at ESS, where he continued to work on reduction, analysis and standardisation in neutron reflectometry. During this period, he was also afforded the opportunity to lead the PANOSC Work Package on training in computing at the large-scale facilities. After two and a half years in Denmark, Andrew returned to take up a lectureship at Bristol, which ideally included training chemists about data analysis and programming.

At Bristol, Andrew has borne in mind how much he wanted to learn programming as an undergraduate. He now teaches and has helped to set up new training in programming and data analysis for both the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including the new MSc program in Scientific Computing with Data Science, so the students he teaches now can learn the skills he always wanted to learn.

Andrew also leads a research group, SCAMs (Statistical Chemical Analysis Methods), at Bristol and has continued his work on neutron reflectivity analysis and is a visiting scientist at Diamond. One of his research goals is to try and take some of the analysis tools that have been developed for neutrons and X-ray scattering and see if they can be applied in other areas of chemistry, taking advantage of these approaches across different analyses.

“It’s about bringing in new methods, such as Bayesian analysis, and not only trying to get the most out of data that we collect”, says Andrew, “but also moving towards having standards in our measurements, so we can get the most out of our data. This way, when we return to the data in, say 10 years, we can still work with it. Importantly, we want to ensure that we are storing the data so when we come back with new methods, we can take advantage of the analysis rather than regretting that we didn’t do something with data that we didn’t keep.”

In 2023, the prize has been awarded to Otto Mustonen from the University of Birmingham for his work on the design, synthesis, and investigation of unique realisations of long-sought models of quantum magnetism using neutron diffraction and spectroscopy and muon spin relaxation techniques.

Across many of his outstanding publications he has exploited his deep understanding of the different roles of filled and empty d-orbitals to stabilise a range of novel magnetic states. He uses this understanding to develop crystal-chemical modifications to structure and magnetic interactions and this has allowed him to access new physical behaviours.

“What makes Otto an especially deserving recipient of the BTM Willis Prize is that he also uses the toolkit of neutron scattering and complementary techniques – particularly muon spectroscopy – to uncover the physics of the materials he has discovered,” adds Dr Lucy Clark from the University of Birmingham. “This includes both magnetic neutron diffraction and spectroscopy, leading to a rigorous materials understanding, which is highlighted in Otto’s interdisciplinary publications.”

During his PhD studies, his use of inelastic neutron scattering and muon relaxation measurements to study spin waves and the elimination of magnetic order to form a spin-liquid state resulted in some of ISIS’s most ‘talked about’ science of 2018.

Now based at the University of Birmingham, Otto’s personal research focuses on exploring the generation of quantum criticality in magnetic oxides, using a range of additional advanced neutron scattering techniques, with the aim of developing design principles for crystal engineering.

While much work had been done previously substituting magnetic cations with the aim of driving quantum criticality, Otto’s was the first demonstration of how a nonmagnetic ion could be used to modify the magnetic exchange to control the magnetic ground state in double perovskites. Moreover, the simple rules established for these magnetic interactions make it possible to predict the magnetic ground state of new double perovskites. This has been recognised internationally as being important, with multiple groups working on this.

“Multiple neutron scattering techniques underpin all of these studies and it was Otto’s contribution of planning, performing and understanding the inelastic and polarised neutron scattering experiments that led to the key insights,” said Professor Eddie Cussen, from the University of Sheffield. “It is a measure of both Otto’s drive and the esteem in which he is held that the collaborations that underpin these experiments were put in place by him. His elegant application of this range of neutron techniques and the quality of his scientific discoveries makes him a highly meritorious recipient of the Willis prize.”

ISIS beamline scientist Dr Helen Walker, also supported Otto’s nomination, adding: “I have seen him develop from a keen and enthusiastic PhD student to a highly productive and independent investigator, who I am proud to collaborate with.”

In 2022, the prestigious award was made to Dr Alex O’Malley from the University of Bath, for his novel and influential applications of neutron spectroscopy in catalytic science.

Dr O’Malley was nominated for the award by ISIS scientist, Professor Stewart Parker, who has worked with Alex since 2015 – first as co-supervisor and later as collaborator. “Despite its great potential, quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) has remained greatly underused in catalysis for almost two decades,” Stewart remarked. “Through numerous research outputs combining molecular simulations with neutron techniques, Alex has led the re-emergence of QENS in the field of catalysis and furthered the dynamic catalysis research programme at ISIS.”

Alex began using neutron techniques during his PhD under the supervision of Professor Sir Richard Catlow, while based at the UK Catalysis Hub and ISIS Neutron and Muon Source. During this time, he developed a research program publishing a number of articles exploring the dynamical behaviour of reactive species in microporous catalysts, with a focus on commercially relevant processes. After receiving his PhD from University College London in 2016, Dr O’Malley undertook a post-doc at Cardiff University, and was awarded the Ramsay Memorial Fellowship to investigate nanoscale molecular mobility in microporous materials for public health applications.

Alex now leads a research group as Whorrod Research Fellow at the University of Bath, with one of his students co-funded by ISIS’ Facility Development studentship programme. In his research, Alex uses neutron methods, among other experimental and simulation techniques, to study molecular behaviour in porous materials for processes that range from industrial catalysis to emerging drug delivery and decontamination technologies.

Throughout his research career, Alex has developed strong links with industry, including a long-standing collaboration with sustainable technologies company, Johnson Matthey (JM). JM scientist, Dr Andrew York, supported Alex’s nomination. “I have worked closely with Dr O’Malley for over five years, since our initial meeting during his PhD inspired an important project based on neutron scattering in collaboration with Johnson Matthey. Dr O’Malley’s use of neutrons to study molecular behaviour in porous catalysts is an exciting area of research, which we have found provides unique information, not obtainable using other techniques. For JM, this completely new research activity enabled us to gain greater insight into our emissions control catalysts, while also allowing us to evaluate new lines of research with neutron techniques. I am very proud of the quality of the research we have published together.”

To date, Alex has published over 30 research papers, many of which involve neutron scattering techniques. Alex’s excellent track record has led to several national awards, including the British Zeolite Association’s Founders Award for the best PhD student in UK microporous science and, more recently, the prestigious UK Catalysis Hub Sir John Meurig Thomas Catalysis Medal, which recognised the significant, real-world impact of his work with neutrons.

The BTM Willis prize is named in honour of Prof. Terry Willis – founder of the UK Neutron Scattering Group, and the well-known for Harwell (later Oxford) School of Neutron Scattering. Since 2001, the IOP Neutron Scattering Group and the Faraday Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry have awarded the prize annually to an early career researcher in recognition of a single outstanding piece of work, or a longer-term coherent body of work, in the application of neutron scattering to a significant problem in physics, chemistry, materials science, earth science, the life sciences, or engineering, or alternatively in recognition of a major development in neutron scattering instrumentation or techniques. Commenting on Alex’s nomination for the Willis prize, Professor Sir Richard Catlow, commented that Alex’s “work is exactly the imaginative and novel use of neutron techniques that Terry Willis would have admired.”

The 2020 Prize has been awarded to Dr Draper, University of Glasgow, for her outstanding contributions in the field of self-assembled systems, developing a number of methods including neutron scattering to prepare and characterise supramolecular materials

Dr Emily DraperDr Draper (pictured ​right) was nominated by Professor Lee Cronin at the University of Glasgow, who says, “Dr. Draper is a rising star in the field of organic optoelectronic materials. She has expertise in controlling self-assembly to form conductive and electrochromic materials, aligning self-assembled materials, photocatalysis and photoconductivity.

“She is also a highly creative, focused, and determined scientist. She has developed a number of new methods to prepare and characterise supramolecular materials, and was the driving force for her first author paper in Nature Chemistry where she produced state-of-the-art two component networks where one network could then be photo-eroded. “In addition, she has developed new methods to prepare shear-aligned photoactive solutions and gels, as well as magnetically aligning photoconductive materials.”

Dr. Draper is also an expert in preparing and characterizing self-assembled systems, and has recently developed a method to monitor electrochemical changes in self-assembled systems directly in a neutron beam for in situ small angle neutron scattering experiments. Dr Ralf Schweins from the Large Scale Structures Group at the Institut Laue – Langevin has carried out multiple small angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments with Emily and supported her nomination. He says;

“Emily is an extremely talented scientist, and has become expert in analysing and interpreting SANS data. She has carried out particularly challenging research in characterising self-assembled fibrous systems, elucidating the contribution of each individual network in an experiment that is uniquely possible using neutron scattering. Emily has authored more than 50 publications, of which she is the corresponding author for 14 and first author for another 23. I am convinced Emily is a great scientist and deserves being awarded the BTM Willis Prize 2020.”

In addition to her outstanding research portfolio, Dr Draper is committed to developing the next generation of scientists. She has been a committee member of the Women in Supramolecular Chemistry (WISC) group, helping develop a new mentoring scheme for young supramolecular chemists. She chaired the Postdoctoral Network in the School of Chemistry at Glasgow, developing a programme of talks to help develop the careers of postdoctoral researchers, and where she is part of the Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team. She has regularly taken part in events in local school, giving talks on pursuing a career in Chemistry, and Girls in Science days and is a member of the Chemistry Outreach Group (COG) in the School of Chemistry at Glasgow, and has presented in the Pint of Science series on the potential of flexible electronic devices in prosthetics.

Dr Annela Sneddon at the University of Bristol also support Dr Draper’s nomination. She says, “For the point she is at in her career, Dr Draper is a truly exceptional scientist. Her publication record is outstanding, and she consistently produces elegant and careful work which has a high impact in the field of soft matter, and specifically functional gels. The neutron scattering experiments she has undertaken are an exemplar of this approach. I find it particularly notable that she has managed to blend her excellent fundamental science with potentially useful applications, something that I think should be applauded. She is a worthy nominee for the BTM Willis Prize and I wholeheartedly support her nomination.”

Dr Johnson has made fundamental discoveries in the area of magnetically-induced multiferroics – crystalline solids with simultaneous magnetic order and ferroelectricity in which the electric polarization can be switched by changes in the magnetic order.

​Over the last few decades most of the major technological advances that have shaped our society have been underpinned by improvements in our understanding of how the structure of materials at the atomic scale shapes their behavior in the observable world. Nowhere is this more evident than in the storage, processing and use of data, driven by complex magnetic phenomena such as Giant Magneto Resistance.

Prof Andrew Boothroyd nominated Dr Johnson, who is currently a Royal Society University Research Fellow based in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford. He has also previously been an instrument scientist, working on the WISH diffractometer at ISIS. He says, “Roger’s skill is in exploiting advanced neutron diffraction and complementary techniques to solve complex crystal and magnetic structures, and in using physical insights from his structure solutions to work out the magnetoelectric coupling mechanisms. He has the rare ability to see through the layers of complexity that shroud real-world materials and find simple explanations for how they work.”

In recent years Dr Johnson has produced a series of groundbreaking publications on this highly complex class of materials, based on neutron diffraction experiments. This included his 2016 paper solving the magnetic structure of CaMn7O12 through the observation of a series of higher order Fourier components in single crystal and powder neutron diffraction at ISIS, and is considered to be one of the most complex magnetic structures ever solved. Quite remarkably, however, out of this complexity emerged an intuitive understanding based on the theories developed by Goodenough in the 1950’s – pointing towards a universal magneto-orbital coupling in this class of materials.

In another recent publication, Dr Johnson discovered another novel magnetic phase of the manganites, again employing neutron powder diffraction at ISIS. This discovery was a triumph, as it unified the phase diagram of complex magneto-orbital textures, revealed in Dr Johnson’s prior research on complex multiferroic phases, with that of simple perovskites studied since the1950s.

Prof Boothroyd says, “Dr Johnson’s work has defined new benchmarks in the complexity of magnetic structures solvable by neutron diffraction. By unravelling the mechanisms that couple electronic and magnetic degrees of freedom his research has led to a resurgence of interest in magnetic phenomena in manganites, paving the way to their exploitation in technological applications.”

The prize is named in honour of the late Professor B T M Willis, founding chairman of the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Chemistry Neutron Scattering Group. Prof ​Felix Fernandez-Alonso is the current chair. He says, “Terry Willis was a pioneer of neutron diffraction techniques for the investigation of the structures of complex materials, including complex manganese oxides. It would be fitting for the award to go to a young scientist who has taken the technique to the next level. Dr Johnson is a very worthy recipient of the prize.”

References

Johnson et al. (2012), Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 067201

Johnson et al. (2011), Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 137205

Johnson et al. (2016), Phys. Rev. B 93, 180403(R)

Perks et al. (2012), Nature Comms. 3, 1277

Johnson et al. (2018), Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 257202

​This week saw the prestigious BTM Willis prize for outstanding neutron scattering science awarded to Dr Andrew Seel, from the University of Oxford and UCL.

The prize is jointly awarded by the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Institute of Physics Neutron Scattering Groups to an early career researcher addressing a significant problem in physical, life or engineering science, or in recognition of a major development in a neutron scattering technique. Dr Seel is recognised in both these categories – he was instrumental in the further development and expansion of mass-resolved neutron spectroscopy in the chemical sciences, and he has used a wide range of neutron techniques to study a group of functional materials known as metal-amine solutions.

Dr Ian Tucker is the Chair of the IOP Neutron Scattering Group and presented the award to Dr Seel at the UK Neutron and Muon Science and User Meeting in Warwick. He says, “This was a remarkably difficult year for the committee as there were some outstanding applicants. However the committee’s decision was unanimous and I am delighted to present Andrew with this award. His nomination was unique in that he could be equally recognised for his science and for his contributions to neutron and muon techniques – very well deserved!”

Dr Seel completed both his undergraduate degree and DPhil at the University of Oxford under the supervision of Prof Peter Edwards FRS, before becoming an instrument scientist on the VESUVIO instrument at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source. Here he was at the forefront of technique development. Prof Neal Skipper from University College London nominated Andrew for the award. He says, “Andrew really helped to widen the application of this technique – for example via mass selective measurements – and to extend its use beyond studying quantum behaviour in the lightest elements to heavier elements such as lithium. Alongside this his research has exploited a wide range of neutron techniques, most recently to shed new light on the mechanisms behind electron localisation/delocalisation and trapping in new phases of metal-amine systems.”

Dr Seel’s recent paper these metal-amine systems was published in the journal Angewandte Chemie. Metal-amines solutions have a fascinating history. These strikingly colourful liquids were discovered by Sir Humphry Davy in 1808. Ammonia and amines are hydrogen-based solvents with a unique ability to accommodate high concentrations of metal solutes. They display some unusual characteristics, as Davy discovered while using a potassium-ammonia solution. He found that a concentrated potassium-ammonia solution has a striking bronze/gold appearance, whilst a more dilute solution has an intense blue colour. There is also a large increase in volume with metal concentration, meaning that, extraordinarily, a more concentrated solution will float above a more dilute one.

Metal-amine liquids are also remarkably tuneable – by varying the electron density it is possible to causes the solution to change from an electrolyte to a liquid demonstrating genuine metallic behaviour. Not only that the chemical properties can be tuned by varying the amine and metal used. In the 1940s, R. A. Ogg claimed to have discovered evidence of high-temperature superconductivity in glassy metal-amine solutions, although his results have never been consistently replicated.

As part of the award Dr Seel presented at the NMSUM conference on the challenges of working with metal-amine solutions, and where he hopes the research will lead – including the potential to prove Ogg right in providing a new route to high temperature superconductors! He says, “The conference was a fantastic experience and I am genuinely honoured to receive this award. None of this work could have been done without the support of ISIS. Work of this exploratory nature, from someone in their early stages of their career required a real leap of faith on behalf of ISIS. Their confidence in my work and the supportive nature of the facility is what made this possible. I hope I can build on this work to develop our fundamental knowledge of these beautiful liquids and help us realise their full potential!”

Dr Katharina Edkins, Durham University, uses neutron and X-ray diffraction combined with non-empirical crystal lattice energy calculation and solid-state analytical techniques to investigate whether water structure is important in pharmaceuticals by exploring the role of water in hydrated crystal structures. Her aim is to overcome some of the challenges these materials present to the formulation of safe and efficient drug delivery to the target area in the body. To fully understand and predict the drugs behaviour, Dr Edkins applies neutron and X-ray scattering to probe dominant interactions of drugs in solution, in order to tailor the design of future pharmaceutical materials.

In a parallel project, Dr Edkins is looking into supramolecular gels for the use in drug delivery, with particular focus on the diffusion of solvents within these colloids to tailor-make a gel for a certain application.

These two areas of research combined will impact on the pharmaceutical industry by improving the efficiency of the process of new drug compounds reaching the market and by providing a novel vehicle of drug delivery.

Dr Edkins is the eighth winner of this prestigious award, which is presented each year by the Neutron Scattering Group of the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) to a young researcher in recognition of outstanding contributions to neutron scattering science.

In response to being awarded the prize, Dr Edkins said: “Winning the B.T.M. Willis prize is a great honour and recognition of my work, and gives me a massive boost to continue neutron research. Without access to ISIS, and the open and helpful attitude of the instrument scientists, none of my research would have been possible, so I would like to send a big thank you to everyone involved.”

At ISIS, Dr Edkins brings the unusual application of gels for drug delivery to the LET spectrometer, which compliments her work on IN16b beamline at the Institut Laue-Langevin. Meanwhile she uses SANDALS, a diffractometer especially designed for investigating the structure of liquids, to build on knowledge of hydrated crystals and see how the structure of the solution influences the crystallisation outcome of pharmaceuticals.

Dr Ian Tucker, Chair of the IOP/RSC Neutron Scattering group presented the prize. He said:

“During the last 5 years the competition to win the Willis prize has become very intense with some very excellent candidates. To be in the top 3 should be considered an achievement in itself. The Willis prize is judged every year by the 9 members of the NSG committee. This is a cross-discipline group covering physics, chemistry, biology, pharmacy, crystallography, polymers, hard and soft condensed matter, magnetism, high and low temperature materials, and engineering. Judging is never easy and the result this year, like the previous years, has been very close. With the standard of science amongst the top three candidates being so high and the glowing letters of support in triplicate, paper alone does not make a winner.”

“So why did Kathi win this year? Overall the committee voted her science to be the best, spanning several disciplines and the one thing which stood out was the way in which the medical aspects of her work on drug polymorphism studied using neutron methods were communicated. This along with her popular contribution to the community, serving on various instrument allocation panels, and high degree of team alignment in both experimentation and departmental matters demonstrated that she is capable of more than experimental research. Congratulations Dr Edkins, and well done.”​

Dr Sihai Yang, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the University of Nottingham, has been awarded the B T M Willis Prize for 2013 by the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Chemistry Neutron Scattering Group.

The award recognises Dr Yang’s outstanding research in the application of neutron scattering science to understand gas storage and separation properties of porous materials. Sihai was presented with his award at the UK Neutron and Muon User Meeting 2013 held on 8th April, and he was invited to give a science lecture.

“Neutron scattering is an extremely powerful technique and absolutely important to the success of my research projects,” commented Sihai. “I am honoured to receive this prestigious award and I am grateful to the selection committee for their kind remark on my research work. I would like also to thank my collaborators, scientists from ISIS and Diamond, for their invaluable inputs to these research achievements. I shall continue my research projects at these state-of-the-art central facilities in collaboration with scientists there.”

Over the past decade, the development of functional porous materials has attracted tremendous interests worldwide owing to their potential applications in hydrogen storage and carbon capture. Understanding the mechanism by which porous materials adsorb and trap gas molecules is essential for the design of better systems. However, this study represents a major scientific challenge.

Dr Yang’s research work focuses on using inelastic neutron scattering and neutron diffraction techniques to gain insight into the interactions between adsorbed gas molecules and porous framework hosts, and a series of developments were achieved over the past four years. For example, he has developed a family of anionic framework solids with gated pore structures. These materials show interesting hysteretic hydrogen adsorption properties, a behaviour that is significant for practical hydrogen storage. In addition, Li ions were introduced into these frameworks to improve the hydrogen storage properties.

Significantly, Dr Yang used inelastic neutron scattering to explain the binding interaction of adsorbed hydrogen molecules within these framework materials, representing a great advance in understanding their interesting hydrogen storage properties. These research results have been published in a series of high profile journals, such as Nature Chemistry, Faraday Discussions, and Inorganic Chemistry, and are highlighted by Nature News and Views.

Recently, he has successfully developed the novel application of inelastic neutron scattering to study the binding interaction and dynamics of adsorbed carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide molecules within a porous host NOTT-300 which was discovered in Nottingham. The results lead to the direct visualisation and understanding of the molecular mechanism by which these harmful gases (CO2 & SO2) are captured by NOTT-300 material. This study represents important progress in the field of porous carbon capture system, because NOTT-300 does not contain toxic amine functional groups as in traditional carbon capture systems. The study on the binding interactions by using neutron scattering has led to the discovery of entirely new mechanism for the binding of carbon dioxide in such non-amine-containing system. The result was published in the journal Nature Chemistry as front cover article, and it was also reported in Reuters News and many other media outlets.

The prize was awarded in recognition of her studies of a wide range of biological molecules and their interactions at the atomic and molecular level in the presence of water.​​

Her research is focused on understanding the interactions between molecules in cell membranes, the gate-keepers of life. Cell membranes are everywhere and are essential to sustain life. Cell membranes control the ‘molecular traffic’ in and out of the cell and play an important role in controlling disease and nutritional balance in different parts of the body.

The B.T.M. Willis prize is awarded annually by the Neutron Scattering Group of the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Chemistry for outstanding contributions to neutron scattering science.

The majority of Dr McLain’s work uses the ISIS neutron source, the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s world leading research centre at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxford.

“As an EPSRC Career Acceleration Fellow in Biochemistry at the University of Oxford, I am using neutron techniques to investigate biological problems such as protein folding and the formation of cellular membranes in solution. I am very honoured to win this prize as neutrons have played a fundamental role in my core research.  It would not have been possible without the unique techniques and the support of the many excellent, experienced people I have collaborated with at ISIS,” said Dr McLain on her achievement.

“We were impressed with Sylvia’s research which is of wide interest and importance to academic research and several medical industries including pharmaceuticals,” said Dr Ali Zarbakhsh, Chair of the IOP/RSC Neutron Scattering Group.  “Sylvia has expanded the level of structural details we can obtain using neutron scattering techniques and advanced the complexity of the systems we can study”.

Dr McLain holds a 5-year £1.3 million EPSRC research grant at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford. Her group uses a combination of neutron scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance and computer modelling techniques to discover how interactions at cell membranes take place. Understanding the structure of membranes is also needed to understand the regulation of cell activity. The results of the study will aid descriptions of many of the things that membranes do, such as signal transduction – which is important in passing messages between brain cells and the body via molecules called neurotransmitters, the passage of drugs into cells and the effect of external influences on cells from toxins and antimicrobial agents.