Research Interests

Open to PhD applications in the field of

• Theoretical and computational physics and chemistry
• Atomic and molecular many-body physics
• Electronic structure theory

Make a PhD enquiry

Current Research Opportunities

• PhD in Theoretical many-body physics and quantum chemistry: Many-body theory and computation of low-energy antimatter interactions with matter and light [within ERC-funded research group].

Public outreach & key achievements

I am a Reader in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Queen's. I held a European Research Council grant (2019-2024) for a research programme developing theory for antimatter interactions with atoms, molecules and condensed matter, successfully directing a team of 3 Research Fellows and 4 PhD students. I graduated MPhys from Balliol College, Univesity of Oxford (2008) and PhD in Theoretical Atomic Physics from QUB (2011).

Since then I have been a Visiting Fellow at ITAMP, Harvard University, a Research Fellow at Durham University Chemistry Department and the Joint Quantum Centre, and an EPSRC Fellow at Queen's University Belfast. I was awarded the 2019 Institute of Physics Sir David Bates prize for outstanding contributions to atomic, molecular, quantum and plasma physics, the 2018 QUB Vice-Chancellors Postdoctoral Research Prize, and the 2017 international ICPEAC Sheldon Datz prize.

I was the Chair of the Institute of Physics Ireland (2022-2024) and am a member of the UK Institute of Physics Council of Trustees. I was secretary of the Institute of Physics Atomic and Molecular Interactions Group (AMIG). I am Chair of the Scientific advisory board for the International Workshop for Positron and Positronium physics (POSMOL).

Examples of recent work include:
1. Many-body theory of positron binding to polyatomic molecules, Nature 606 688 [2022] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04703-3 

Research students

PhD Title	Many-body theory of positron-molecule interactions
Name	Jack Cassidy
Year of Study	2020 - 2024
PhD Title	Theory and computation for positron interactions with many-electron systems
Name	Jaroslav Horfierka
Year of Study	2019 - 2023
PhD Title	Positron interactions in atoms and clusters
Name	David Waide
Year of Study	2016 - 2022

 

Alumni: Where are they now

Name	Jaroslav Hofierka
Current Position	Moved to a Postdoc at Heidelberg
Name	David Waide
Current Position	Moved to a Postdoc at Trinity College Dublin

Discover More

• Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
• School of Mathematics and Physics
• https://blogs.qub.ac.uk/antimatter/dermot/