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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Timothy Peter Softley is a British scientist who is Pro-vice-chancellor (PVC) for research and knowledge transfer at the University of Birmingham.[6][7][8]
Timothy Softley | |
|---|---|
Softley in 2018 | |
| Education | The Hewett School[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford University of Southampton[2] |
| Awards | Corday Morgan Medal (1994)[3] Royal Society University Research Fellowship[when?] Harkness Fellowship[when?] |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemical physics |
| Institutions | University of Birmingham University of Oxford Stanford University University of Cambridge |
| Thesis | Infrared predissociation spectroscopy of diatomic atoms (1984) |
| Doctoral advisor | Alan Carrington[3] |
| Doctoral students |
|
| Website | research |
Softley was educated at The Hewett School in Norwich and Wadham College, Oxford.[1] He moved to the University of Southampton to complete a PhD supervised by Alan Carrington in 1984.[3][2] From 1986 to 1987 Softley worked as a post doctoral researcher in the group of Richard Zare at the Stanford University.[9]
Softley is distinguished for his advances in two areas of Chemical Physics.[3] First, the study of atoms and molecules in highly excited quantum states, known as Rydberg states.[3] He has used his understanding of their properties, gained from laser spectroscopy and theory, to develop new applications including the study of model charge-transfer processes at solid-gas interfaces.[3] Second, he has pioneered unique experiments utilising combinations of novel physical devices for making cold atoms, molecules and ions, for studying the kinetics and dynamics of chemical processes at ultralow temperatures – close to the absolute zero of temperature – where quantum effects determine the reactivity.[3]
Much of his work was conducted in a twenty five-year period at Merton College, Oxford, where he served as head of the Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford from 2011 to 2015.[3] His former doctoral students include Helen H. Fielding.[4]
Softley was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2018 for substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge.[3] He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). He was also awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellow (URF) at the University of Cambridge,[when?] held a Harkness Fellowship at Stanford University[3][2] and was awarded the Corday Morgan Medal in 1994.[3]
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