Andrew MacFarlane

Andrew MacFarlane is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of British Columbia, with research affiliations at the AMPEL (Advanced Materials and Process Engineering Laboratory), the UBC Quantum Matter Institute, and the NSERC CREATE programmes called IsoSIM.

His educational background includes a B.Sc. from the University of Victoria (1990), followed by a Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia (1997) under R.F. Kiefl. He completed postdoctoral training as an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow with H. Alloul at Orsay (1997-1999) and as a Postdoctoral Fellow with L. Taillefer at Toronto (1999-2001), before becoming a Research Associate at TRIUMF (2001).

Professor MacFarlane's research focuses on the electronic and magnetic properties of crystalline solids, particularly strongly correlated materials such as cuprate high-temperature superconductors. His experimental approach primarily utilizes advanced magnetic resonance techniques including ß-detected NMR and NQR, muon spin rotation, and conventional solid-state NMR. His group synthesizes thin solid films (typically transition metal oxides) and heterostructures using Pulsed Laser Deposition and other methods, then analyzes local magnetic properties in thin films and near interfaces with ßNMR. ßNMR allows detection of nuclear magnetic resonance of ß-radioactive nuclei via decay products, providing extremely high sensitivity that enables measurements on nanoscale materials.

Analysis of Professor MacFarlane's recent publications reveals a strong focus on applying ß-detected NMR and muon spin techniques to study magnetic properties, ionic diffusion, and electronic structure in a wide range of materials including transition metal oxides, topological insulators, ionic liquids, and nanomaterials. His work bridges physics and chemistry, with applications in quantum materials, energy storage, and fundamental condensed matter phenomena. The research demonstrates increasing sophistication in probe techniques, with recent work extending to 31Mg for ß-detected NMR studies of solids and detailed investigations of lithium dynamics in various host materials.

Professor MacFarlane is actively recruiting graduate students for research projects in Chemistry or Physics and encourages interested students to contact him directly. His research is supported through affiliations with the UBC Quantum Matter Institute and NSERC CREATE programmes. He also directs students to the TRIUMF summer student program for undergraduate research opportunities.

His laboratory work is conducted at the AMPEL facility, where his group utilizes pulsed laser deposition, spectroscopic ellipsometry, and other advanced materials characterization techniques alongside their specialized magnetic resonance methods. The research has implications for understanding quantum phenomena in condensed matter systems and developing new materials for electronic and energy applications.