Colm Durkan

Colm Durkan is Professor of Nanoengineering Science at the University of Cambridge, and head of the Nanoelectronics and Scanning Probe Microscopy group. He is also co-founder of CambridgeNano- a nanotech startup which develops scanning probe microscopes. His background is in Physics, having obtained a degree and PhD in Physics from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1996. Since 1997 when Colm moved to the UK to pursue his research interests, he has been working in Cambridge on a variety of topics at the heart of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. His particular interests lie in the mapping and manipulation of the physical properties of matter at the nanometre scale. He Has been teaching quantum mechanics, electromagnetism and electronics to Cambridge undergraduates and postgraduates for over ten years. Colm's book, "Electronics at the nanoscale - an introduction to nanoelectronics" is based on his courses, and was a labour of love......When not in the lab, Colm loves giving talks in front of as many people as possible as the excitement caused by what nanotechnology can genuinely do is second to none. This is what led to him writing his first popular science book "Size really does matter- the Nanotechnology revolution". Colm loves reading all sorts, particularly anything with a good story and plenty of humour. To round things off, Colm has a Black belt in Shotokan Karate, which is an excellent way to focus and get rid of the day-to-day frustration of things not always working in the lab!