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Prof Ian Ford
Professor of Physics
Dept of Physics & Astronomy
Faculty of Maths & Physical Sciences
- Joined UCL
- 1st Jan 1996
Research summary
My research interests lie in the area of statistical physics, particularly soft condensed matter and biological physics. I am particularly interested in a theoretical understanding of the nucleation of a phase transition, such as condensation of aerosols or freezing of liquids, and in nonequilibrium entropy-producing processes in general, particularly through the framework of stochastic thermodynamics and fluctuation relations. I have also worked in areas as diverse as quark physics, laser-atom interactions, friction and wear, atmospheric physics and environmental pollution, deformation and fracture of materials, and problems in nuclear reactor design.
- Soft condensed matter
- Nucleation phenomena
- Aerosol science
- Biomolecular mechanics
- Entropy production and stochastic thermodynamics
- Small system kinetic processes
- Fluctuation relations
Teaching summary
Statistical mechanics
Stochastic mathematics
Thermodynamics
Education
- University of Oxford
- Doctorate, Doctor of Philosophy | 1987
- University of Cambridge
- First Degree, Bachelor of Arts (Honours) | 1984
Biography
I graduated from Cambridge University in 1984 with a BA in Physics and Theoretical Physics, and went on to complete a DPhil in 1987 at Oxford University on the theory of elementary particles. I then moved to the Theoretical Physics Division at the Harwell Laboratory of the UK Atomic Energy Authority. In 1993-5 I was attached to the Department of Materials at Oxford University as a part-time Royal Society Industrial Fellow. I left Harwell at the end of 1995 to join the Condensed Matter and Materials Physics group of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UCL. I became a Reader in Physics in 2003 and a Professor in 2007.
