معرفی
Dr James W E Drewitt is an Honorary Industrial Fellow in the School of Physics at the University of Bristol. He holds a BSc, PhD and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). His research integrates synchrotron and neutron experiments, containerless processing, and high-performance molecular dynamics to investigate liquids and glasses under conditions ranging from quantum-optical device fabrication to the deep interiors of planets.
Education:
- BSc – physics-related discipline
- PhD – physics-related discipline
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Research Interests:
Dr Drewitt’s work spans three interconnected themes:
- Physics of Liquids and Glasses. Using in situ synchrotron x-ray and neutron scattering, he probes atomic-scale structure and rheology that control glass formation, combining these data with classical and density-functional molecular dynamics on the University of Bristol Advanced Computing Research Centre and the UK national supercomputer ARCHER.
- Containerless Processing. Aerodynamic and ultrasonic acoustic levitation with laser heating allows ultrafast quench rates, enabling deep supercooling studies and the creation of novel optical glasses—particularly for whispering-gallery-mode microresonators—while avoiding heterogeneous nucleation.
- Melt and Mineral Physics of Planetary Interiors. Diamond-anvil-cell experiments coupled with laser or resistive heating reproduce deep-Earth and planetary interior conditions, elucidating the structure and properties of silicate melts and liquid metals under extreme pressures and temperatures.
Scientific Awards & Honours:
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Research Outputs & Impact:
Dr Drewitt has authored 41 peer-reviewed articles (including 2 review articles) and produced 7 open datasets. His 2021 review on high-pressure liquid structure alone has attracted 17 citations within two years, while his 2020 Physical Review Letters study on liquid gallium garnered 22 citations. His datasets, downloaded hundreds of times, underpin collaborative projects with Diamond Light Source, ESRF, ILL and other central facilities.
Collaboration, Grants & Facilities:
- Principal user of Diamond Light Source (UK), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and Institut Laue–Langevin (France).
- Extensive computational resources via the University of Bristol Advanced Computing Research Centre and the ARCHER UK supercomputer.
- Co-investigator on the NERC-funded “Deep Water: Hydrous Silicate Melts and the Transition Zone Water Filter” project (2016–2020).
- Invited speaker at international conferences and users’ meetings, including NSLS-II/CFN/LBMS (2023) and Frontiers in Glass II (2021).
Labs & Teams:
Dr Drewitt is affiliated with the Physics Education Group at Bristol, while operating experimental stations at central facilities, maintaining high-pressure laser-heated diamond anvil cell laboratories, and coordinating simulation campaigns on national HPC platforms.
