Matt Probert

Professor Matt Probert is a faculty member in the Department of Physics at the University of York, part of the School of Physics, Engineering and Technology. He holds the position of Professor since 2016 and leads the Condensed Matter Dynamics group. His academic journey includes roles such as Reader, Senior Lecturer, and Lecturer at York, and prior research positions at the Cavendish Laboratory and University College London.

• Current Role: Professor of Physics, Theoretical Physics Champion
• Leadership Roles: Chair of Physics Computing Strategy Committee, Director of N8 CIR
• External Roles: Visiting Professor at University of Lille, Chair of UKCP HPC Management Committee

Probert earned his PhD in Computer Simulation of Flux Lines in High Temperature Superconductors from the University of Birmingham (1991-1994) and holds a BSc from the same institution. He is a Chartered Physicist (CPhys) and Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP).

His research focuses on computational materials modeling using Density Functional Theory (DFT), particularly through the development and application of the CASTEP software. Key areas include condensed matter dynamics, superconductivity, nanomaterials, and high-performance computing (HPC) strategies. He explores quantum properties of materials, molecular dynamics, and structural predictions using genetic algorithms.

Major grants and initiatives include the UKCP Consortium, Northern Intensive Computing Environment (Bede supercomputer), and the Materials and Molecular Modelling Hub. He teaches courses in Modern Fortran, Computational Physics, High-Performance Computing, and First Principles Materials Modelling at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His group contributes to interdisciplinary collaborations in nanotechnology, electron microscopy, and quantum technologies.