Associate ProfessorAsaph Widmer-Cooper

I am a theoretician working at the interface of chemistry, physics and materials science, with particular expertise related to colloids and interfaces, soft and self-assembled materials, and nanomaterials.

My current research is focused on the formation and behaviour of solution-processed nanomaterials, especially ones important for the sustainable capture and transformation of energy.

This includes work on:

• How molecular ligands can be used to control the stability and shape of nanoparticles in solution
• How nanoparticles can be made to assemble into ordered structures with useful optoelectronic properties
• How the formation and stability of printable inorganic semiconductors can be optimised for use in next-generation solar cells

To study these problems, we use mathematical models and computational methods to understand how collections of atoms, molecules and nanoparticles spontaneously arrange themselves and how this can be used to make new materials or to optimise the properties of existing ones.

We often work closely with experimental groups from across the globe, both to inspire our work and to stimulate new discoveries.

My research aligns with the Faculty of Science Research Strengths in Molecules to Materials, Critical Minerals and Materials, Renewable and Clean Energy, Next Generation Materials, and Net Zero Technologies.