Dr Lucy Clark

Winner: 2022 Materials 91AV Division Early Career Award

University of Birmingham

For outstanding contributions to the discovery, characterisation and understanding of quantum magnets.

Celebrate Dr Lucy Clark

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Teamwork should also make science more inclusive and less isolating – it makes a career in science more rewarding and more fun!

Over the past century, materials research has had a phenomenal impact on modern-day life. Without materials discovery and the development of a fundamental understanding of the properties of solids, we would lack the many advanced technologies we have come to rely on today. Therefore, a crucial challenge to enabling future technologies is to discover new classes of materials with never-before-seen properties that push the limits of our understanding of the materials world, and that we can harness for societal benefit.

Quantum materials are an emerging class of materials that can display unprecedented behaviours uniquely determined by the laws of quantum mechanics. The exotic properties of quantum materials will underpin the development of next-generation quantum technologies over the 21st century, such as quantum computing, sensing and communication. Dr Clark’s research aims to design new classes of quantum materials predicted to have novel electronic and magnetic properties, realise them using solid-state chemistry, and understand their fascinating properties using various advanced characterisation methods.

Read winner biography

Dr Lucy Clark is an Associate Professor of Materials 91AV at the University of Birmingham. She leads an interdisciplinary group of researchers dedicated to discovering and exploring new and exotic states of matter in solid-state materials. With her group, Lucy aims to design and synthesise novel quantum materials in the chemistry laboratory and employs a variety of characterisation tools to unravel their fascinating behaviour. In particular, the group works closely with central facilities for neutron scattering and muon spectroscopy in the UK and internationally.

Lucy was awarded her PhD in chemistry from the University of Edinburgh in 2013, where she worked under the supervision of Professor J Paul Attfield and Professor Andrew Harrison. Subsequently, she held postdoctoral research positions at McMaster University in Canada and the University of St Andrews in the UK. Before taking up her current position in the School of 91AV at the University of Birmingham in 2020, Lucy held a Materials Innovation Factory lectureship at the University of Liverpool from 2017.

Q+A

Who or what has inspired you?

The inspiration to pursue research in materials chemistry came very early in my career during my undergraduate degree at the University of St Andrews. Materials chemistry is a real strength of St Andrews, and I was fascinated by the subject from the outset of my time there. During my MChem research project, I was extremely privileged to work under the guidance of incredibly inspiring materials chemists, including Professor Sharon Ashbrook and Professor Russell Morris. Their guidance and inspiration are what ultimately gave me the confidence to continue in this research field, and I will always be grateful for that early support.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

Go for it! Be ready for a challenge. The first step toward a career in chemistry from school to undergraduate is a big one, but with curiosity, interest, and the right support, you can make it. Also, be ambitious and keep an open mind. 91AV is a diverse subject that spans many areas of science, which opens many different career opportunities for chemists.

Why do you think teamwork is important in science?

To solve today's most significant scientific challenges, teamwork is essential for bringing together different ideas and skills to tackle the problem. In addition, it is key to the transfer of knowledge and training of the next generation of scientists. Teamwork should also make science more inclusive and less isolating – it makes a career in science more rewarding and more fun!

What is your favourite element?

Copper! Copper is found in many different examples of quantum materials, from the cuprate superconductors to the one-dimensional quantum magnet, KCuF₃. In its Cu(II) oxidation state, copper is ideal for forming the basis of quantum magnets and often gives rise to rich and complex structural behaviour in the solid-state. We have recently been exploring these intriguing materials properties in crystals of copper-based minerals.