Professor Glen McHale

Dean of School and Professor of Applied & Materials Physics

About myself

To be part of a School that helps students and staff to grow and fulfill their aspirations, to provide inspiration of what can be achieved in life, and to gain skills and knowledge relevant to the world around us is an absolute privilege.

Before I went to University I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to be an engineer, a scientist or a mathematician, but eventually I became a bit of all of these. At University I started by studying Physics and Electronics – a legacy of a hobby building radios – but my interest was grabbed by the strange ideas of quantum theory and relativity. I was able to transfer to Mathematical Physics in which I gained a first class degree from the University of Nottingham. A few years later I completed a PhD in Applied Mathematics and started work as a Theoretical Physicist. I had always had a blind spot for languages and so I applied to The Royal Society for a European Fellowship to go to the University of Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris so that I could immerse myself in the language and culture - when not working. In Paris, I was drawn into Computing – a subject then in its infancy – and so with a mixture of electronics, physics, maths and computing, I came back to the UK to Nottingham Trent as Lecturer in Applied Physics and Instrumentation.

As a lecturer I spent many happy years sitting alongside students in labs helping them to get experiments to work, or in chats between lectures discussing why one way of thinking about an idea might work, but another might not. Increasingly, my own research interests developed and I found myself working alongside biotechnologists, materials scientists, electrical engineers, chemical engineers, fluid dynamicists and many others. I found that my own skills could add to their perspectives to help find solutions to their real problems – something all engineers do. Along the way I developed a multidisciplinary applied science and engineering group that became recognized as world-leading in understanding and manipulating how liquids interact with solids. I also became a Professor, Head of Subject, and Head of Research (Science & Technology) at Nottingham Trent before joining Northumbria in 2012 as Dean of School.

Bits of all of my different interests can be seen in my CV below and at my public understanding website Nature’s Raincoats.

Research fellows:	Research students:
Dr Shaun Atherton Dr Oliver Dalby Dr Simon Stanley Dr Christopher Hamlett	Joseph Brennan Hina Javed Nicasio Geraldi Huey-Jen Fang (at the University of Nottingham)

Research, scholarly and professional interests

Areas of research include acoustic waves (fundamentals and sensor applications) and the static and dynamic wetting of surfaces (theory and experiment).

• Acoustic Wave Sensors: High frequency vibrations of quartz crystals microbalances (QCMs) are used to probe the solid-liquid and solid-vapour interfaces with selectivity achieved via surface coatings.
• Surface Acoustic Waves: Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices are designed and fabricated for both gas phase and liquid phase studies. Experimental and theoretical studies include instrumentation techniques, novel device modes and applications.
• Superhydrophobic Surfaces: Lithography, electrodeposition and etching to sculpture surfaces at the nano- and micro-level is used to obtain extreme water repellency beyond that which chemistry alone can deliver.
• Dynamic Wetting: Video-microscopy is used to study the interaction and evolution of liquids on surfaces. These surfaces have different geometries (planar, fiber, etc) and can be smooth or patterned.

Selected publications (full list may be found at Nature's Raincoats)

• Dielectrowetting driven spreading of droplets. McHale G, Brown C V, Newton M I, et al., Physical Review Letters, 2011, 107, art. 186101
• Determination of the physical properties of room temperature ionic liquids using a Love wave device. Ouali F F, Doy N, McHale G, et al., Analytical Chemistry, 2011, 83, 6717
• Capillary origami: superhydrophobic ribbon surfaces and liquid marbles. McHale G, Newton M I, Shirtcliffe N J and Geraldi N R, Beilstein J. Nanotechnol., 2011, 2, 145. (Invited)
• Immersed superhydrophobic surfaces: Gas exchange, slip and drag reduction properties. McHale G, Newton M I and Shirtcliffe N J, Soft Matter, 2010, 6, 714. (Invited)
• Voltage-programmable liquid optical interface. Brown C V, Wells G G, Newton M I and McHale G, Nature Photonics, 2009, 3, 420  
• Terminal velocity and drag reduction measurements on superhydrophobic spheres. McHale G, Shirtcliffe N J, Evans C R, et al., Applied Physics Letters, 2009, 94, 6
• Nano-scale superhydrophobicity: suppression of protein adsorption and promotion of flow-induced detachment. Koc Y, et al., Lab on a Chip, 2008, 8, 582
• Liquids shape up nicely. McHale G., Nature Materials, 2007, 6, 627. (Invited)  

Sponsors and collaborators

Current and recent research is being conducted with the collaboration, funding and/or support of:

• The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
• The European Union COST Programme (EU COST P21 and D19)
• The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
• The Royal Society
• The British Council
• Kodak European Research
• UK Sport
• Dstl / Qinetiq / DERA.

University collaborations include Oxford, Manchester, Toronto, Istanbul, Magdeburg and Crete / Cambridge.

Current projects

Research funding in the period since 2001 includes:

• Smart Materials: Designing for Functionality, G McHale et al., EPSRC EP/I016414/1 (2010 to 2012), £202,311
• Engineering of surfaces for drag reduction in water with validation using computational and experimental methods, G McHale and M I Newton, EPSRC EP/G057265/1 (2009 to 2013), £364,692
• Particle based superhydrophobic surfaces: Lab models-to-field sample behaviour, G McHale, M I Newton and N J Shirtcliffe, EPSRC EP/H000704/1 (2009 to 2013), £324,170
• Smart Materials - Designing for Functionality, G McHale, W Cranton, M Newton and T Fisher, EPSRC Cross Disciplinary Feasibility Account EP/I016414/1 (2010-2012), £202,312.
• Exploiting the solid-liquid interface, G McHale, C V Brown and M I Newton, EPSRC Engineering Programme Platform Grant (2007 to 2012), £643,981
• Enhancing water sports performance, G McHale, M I Newton, C C Perry and N J Shirtcliffe, EPSRC EP/E043097/1 (2007 to 2008), £110,369
• An integrated single pass analysis chip for ionic liquids, G McHale and M I Newton, EPSRC EP/D03826X/1 (2006 to 2009), £134,548
• Sperm test kit and assay, M I Newton, D Hughes and G McHale, Lachesis Venture Fund (2006 to 2007), £25,000
• MRI for liquid penetration into textiles, M Bencsik and G McHale, Industrial sponsor (2006 to 2007), £40,000
• Spatial light modulator based on electrowetting technology, C V Brown, G McHale and M I Newton, EPSRC (2005 to 2008), £79,000
• Drag reduction and slip at solid-liquid interfaces, G McHale, C C Perry and M I Newton, EPSRC EP/D500826/1 (2005 to 2008), £205,498
• Next generation Love waves, G McHale and M I Newton, EPSRC EP/C536630/1 (2005 to 2008), £182,057
• Acoustic wave technique to assess MHC-peptide interactions, R C Rees, M I Newton, G McHale, C J Percival and I A Dodi, EPSRC GR/T24524/01 (2005 to 2006), £77,174
• Extreme soil water repellency, F B Pyatt, G McHale, M I Newton and N J.Shirtcliffe, EPSRC EP/C509161/1 (2004 to 2005), £63,009
• Voltage switchable super-hydrophobicity. G McHale and M I Newton, EPSRC GR/S34168/01 (2003 to 2006). £195,141
• Acoustic wave theory and experiment. G McHale, EPSRC GR/S30573/01 (2003), £2,360
• Surface acoustic wave measurement of particulate matter. M I Newton, C J Percival and G McHale, EPSRC GR/R02184/01 (2001 to 2004), £171,137
• Super-hydrophobic/hydrophilic surfaces. G McHale, C C Perry, M I Newton and S M Rowan, EPSRC GR/R02184/01 (2001 to 2004), £183,238
• Biological interactions at the cell membrane. M I Newton and G McHale (Joint with E Gizeli, Institute of Biotechnology, Cambridge University – Sum cited is TNTU element), BBSRC 301/E11140 (1999 to 2002), £64,272

Competitively awarded HEFCE funding in the period since 2001 includes:

• Centre for Effective Learning in Science (CELS), Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning. K Moss, N Macfarlane and G McHale, et al. (2005-2009), £4,850,000
• Science Research Investment Fund 2, G McHale, Project leader for Biosensors, Imaging and Vision (2003-2005), £485,474.

External academic and professional activity

• Member of REF2014 sub-panel UoA13 (2011-2014)
• EU COST Management Committee (UK Representative MP1106, 2012-2016)
• Member of the EPSRC College of Referees (2010-Present)
• Member of the Editorial Board for Advances in Colloid and Interface Science (2010-Present)
• The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition (Nature's Raincoats) (2009)
• Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) International Review Team Member for the
• Biomedical Diagnostics Institute (Dublin City University, 2008)
• Member of Scientific Board, Training Conference on Physics of Droplets (Capri, 2008)
• EU COST P21 Management Committee (UK Representative, 2007-2011)
• Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Maple Biosciences (Subsidiary of MedMira Incorp, Canada, 2006-2008)
• IEEE-FCS Technical Programme Committee (USA 2006, Geneva 2007, Hawaii 2008, Besancon 2009, Newport beach 2010)
• EU COST D19 Management Committee (UK Representative, 2006)
• International Organising Committee, Biosensors and Biomaterials (Tsukuba, Japan, 2005)
• Member of the EPSRC College of Referees (2003-2005)
• Member of the Standing Conference of Physics Professors (2002-present)
• Committee Member of the IOP Physical Acoustics Group (organising body of the Anglo-French Physical Acoustics Conference AFPAC) (2001-2008)
• Fellow of the Institute of Physics (F.Inst.P.)
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• Chartered Physicist (C.Phys.)
• Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (SMIEEE)
  

Information for prospective research students

Opportunities to carry out postgraduate research towards an MPhil/PhD or MSc by research exist in all the areas identified above.

Further information may be obtained from The Graduate School

Links

Research in Wetting: Nature's Raincoats at the Royal Society