Structural Condensed Matter Physics Group
This is an IOP special interest group, which is a community of IOP members focused on a particular discipline, application or area of interest.
Special interest groups allow members to connect and share knowledge and ideas. The IOP funds groups to deliver a range of activities including events, prizes and bursaries. All of our groups are driven by members.
We are jointly run by the Institute of Physics and the British Crystallographic Association.
About the group
The Structural Condensed Matter Physics Group is also known as the Physical Crystallography Group.
As a special interest, member-driven group, we are concerned with the theory and practical applications of crystallography. Crystallography is an interdisciplinary subject and overlaps with many areas of scientific work.
What the group does
We played a major role in starting the British Crystallographic Association, which encourages the exchange of ideas between people from a wide range of disciplines and represents the interests of the national crystallographic community.
Our portfolio of interests includes:
- data analysis
- bulk properties
- instrumentation
- diffraction methods
- magnetic structures
- microstructure analysis
- crystal structures and their transformations
Joining an IOP special interest group
For non-IOP members: Become a member now
Group prizes
Early Career Physical Crystallography Prize
This award is for the best recently published work by a physicist in the early stages of their career in physical crystallography.
Find out more about the Early Career Physical Crystallography Prize.
Malvern PANalytical Thesis Prize in Physical Crystallography
This prize is for the best use of techniques or methods of physical crystallography in a successfully examined thesis submitted between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2018.
Find out more about the Malvern PANalytical Thesis Prize in Physical Crystallography.
Physics resources
- The Interactive Structure Factor Tutorial (University of York)
- Bilbao Crystallographic Server
- ISODISTORT (Brigham Young University)
- Crystallographic Space Group Diagrams and Tables (UCL)
- Introduction to Powder X-Ray Diffraction (PDF, 1,86KB)
- Introduction to Rietveld refinements (PDF, 3MB)
Group events
Our conferences cover a very wide range of topics and their relationship to crystal growth. In recent years they have dealt with:
- magnetism
- diffuse scattering
- physical properties and their incommensurate and modulated phases
Conferences are organised in association with other groups and societies. We actively encourage collaboration with societies and groups with related interests.
Find events for the Structural Condensed Matter Physics Group
Newsletter
- December 2017 (PDF, 122KB)
- November 2016 (PDF, 148KB)
- Autumn 2015 (PDF, 287KB)
- Spring 2015 (PDF, 361KB)
- Autumn 2014 (PDF, 549KB)
- Spring 2014 (PDF, 349KB)
- Autumn 2013 (PDF, 486KB)
- Spring 2013 (PDF, 215KB)
- Autumn 2012 (PDF, 674KB)
- Spring 2012 (PDF, 867KB)
- Autumn 2011 (PDF, 2MB)
- Spring 2011 (PDF, 159KB)
- Autumn 2010 (PDF, 313KB)
Useful links
Learn more on our joint MediaWiki page for the Physical Crystallography Group and Structural Condensed Matter Physics Group.
Committee and contact
| Category | Name | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chair | Dr Lewis Owen | 2023 | 2027 |
| Secretary | Dr Struan Simpson | 2024 | 2028 |
| Treasurer | Dr Nilanthy Balakrishnan, MInstP | 2024 | 2025 |
| Ordinary Member | Professor Mohammed Abdul Basith, FInstP | 2023 | 2027 |
| Ordinary Member | Dr Matthew Cliffe | 2022 | 2026 |
| Ordinary Member | Dr Chris Howard | 2024 | 2028 |
| Ordinary Member | Dr Karen Johnston, MInstP | 2022 | 2026 |
| Ordinary Member | Miss Holly McPhillips, MInstP | 2022 | 2026 |
| Ordinary Member | Dr Helen Playford | 2021 | 2025 |
| Ordinary Member | Dr Daniel Porter | 2022 | 2026 |
| Early Career Physicist | Mr Glen Hebberd | 2022 | 2026 |
- Email: [email protected]