Colin Lambert - Curriculum Vitae#

During his career, Lambert has produced over 310 publications and trained over 80 PhD students. During the 20 months since 2015 alone, he produced 44 publications, including 20 papers in high-impact-factor journals Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Nanoletters, PNAS, JACS, Angewandte Chemie, Nanoscale and Chem. Soc. Rev.

Lambert is a Research Professor, QinetiQ Fellow, a Member of Academia Europaea and recent Founding Director of the Lancaster Quantum Technology Centre. His theories of quantum interference in single molecules aim to control and exploit quantum interference in real world applications. Nowadays, to conduct world-leading research in molecular-scale dynamics, it is necessary to establish a triangle of groups specialising in theory, synthesis and measurement. Lambert’s group of 4 postdocs and 14 PhD students is the theory apex of several such triangles.

As the theorist within the MOLESCO (2012-16) and FUNMOLS (2008-2012) European networks, involving 9 other teams, all of which are experimentalists, his group has stimulated new targets for synthesis and measurement, leading to experimental implementations of several of his theoretical schemes for quantum interference and molecular-scale thermoelectricity. These activities are founded on his theoretical tools for predicting charge, spin and thermal transport through superconducting nanostructures and single molecules, including the internationally recognised SMEAGOL code [Nature Materials 2005 4, 335; Phys. Rev. 2006 B73 085414]] (>1300 citations), which is used by over 150 groups in 29 countries.

1. Invited talks

Lambert has delivered his ideas and research outputs at over 80 invited talks at international conferences. International venues of talks since 2005 include: Beijing, Hefei, Stockholm, Bremen, Copenhagen, Houston, Lausanne, Madrid, Antigua; Copenhagen, Montenegro, Bremen, Erlangen, Aarhus, Portoroz; Brussels, Ballaton, Canberra, Dresden and Cinqueterra, Paris, Strasbourg, Catania and Oviedo.

2. Research leadership

a. Research leadership at a European level

• Between 1992 and 2014, Lambert led an unbroken succession of five European condensed-matter-theory research networks, each valued at approximately 2 million euros and typically involving 10 research-led institutions.
  
• In 2007, he used his European-level experience to co-create a 10-institution European Marie Curie ITN, “Fundamentals of Molecular Electronics,” (2008 – 2012) and its successor network “Molecular-Scale Electronics.”

b. Research leadership at a national level

• Leader of a £1.1M cross-research council, 4-institution Basic Technology consortium on “Controlled Electron Transport Through Single Molecules,” (2004 – 2008).
  
• Leader of a £1.1M Lancaster-EPSRC Theoretical Condensed-Matter Physics Portfolio Partnership (2004 – 2010).

c. Research leadership at a regional level

• Director of the £4.8 million NWDA- funded Northwest Science Grid, involving Lancaster, Daresbury, Liverpool and Manchester. (Lambert initially led this bid to the Smith Committee and with Daresbury, steered it through the Byers Review and finally through the NWDA.)
  
• Board member of the N8 Molecular Engineering Translational Research Centre (METRC), which is an industry-facing collaboration involving 8 research-led universities, located in the north of England (2008 – 2014).

3. Horizon scanning and influencing the agenda

a. Influencing the agenda of non-UK funding agencies

• During 2005-6 Lambert led a Forward Look in Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology on behalf of the European Commission IST Priority, aimed at shaping calls for Framework 7. In part, this involved selecting and inviting world experts to brainstorming meetings in Brussels and Paris. His report is available on the FET web site ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/ist/docs/fet/strat-2.pdf and formed part of the FP7 FET Open Call “Nano-scale ICT devices and systems” (a FET1 Proactive Initiative) http://cordis.europa.eu/ist/fet/ie-jan07.htm This report lays out a strategic vision for the future of European research in Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology on a 10-15 year timescale. It highlights the strong impact on future EU economic growth of nanoelectronics and nanotechnologies and the areas likely to benefit from these developments, including materials, medicine, and information technology.
  
• In 2004 he conceptualised, initiated and led a 10 million euro European Science Foundation, Eurocores programme, Fundamentals of Nanoelectronics. To establish this programme, Lambert organised invitation-only launch meetings involving senior European scientists and funding agencies from ESF member organisations (Lancaster, May 2004 and Brussels, December 2004). Following agreement with funding bodies from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, the five-year programme funded five research consortia, involving 28 research organisations, spread over 9 countries and included national research funding and a European networking component.
  
• In 2005, he was leader of the Strasbourg-based European Science Foundation Forward-Look Panel on the Future of Nanoscience and Information Technology and presented the outcomes in the European Parliament in November 2005.
  
• Since 1995, Lambert has been a Council member and during 1998-9 was President of the Lausanne-based, Centre for Computational Science CECAM. This is funded by subscription from 14 national funding agencies, supports research in computational physics, chemistry, biology and materials science. As well as aiming to set the European agenda in computational science, it typically funds 30 international workshops per annum at the Lausanne headquarters and a further 60 workshops and schools at CECAM satellite nodes located in Germany, France, The Netherlands, Ireland and the UK.
  

b. Influencing the agenda of UK research councils and other institutions

• Member of the HECToR Science Board, which advised on scientific case for the UK’s latest £100 million supercomputer. During 2006, this top-level committee chose the winning consortia on behalf of RCUK. (2004 – 2007).
  
• Member the EPSRC Advisory Panel, which carried out a Quinquennial Review of the SLA between EPSRC and the Daresbury Computational Science and Engineering Department (2006).
  
• EPSRC’s participation in the above-mentioned FoNE Eurocores programme was a result of extensive lobbying by Lambert and led a significant shift in EPSRC’s nanoelectronics funding profile.

4. Consultation by outside bodies

• Chair, member or Rapporteur of 21 EU FP6, FP7, H2020 or European Science Foundation review and grant-awarding panels since 2005.
  
• Chair or member of 16 EPSRC review and grant-awarding panels since 2001.
  
• External assessor for Chair appointments at five universities since 2005.

5. Collaboration with industry

• PI in a QinetiQ-led, 6-institution £1.6M DTI project on ‘Molecular Electronic Gas Sensors’ (2005 – 08).
  
• PI in a DTI MNT Project “Narrow Band-Gap Spintronic Devices for Information Technology (2005 – 08).
  
• PI in an EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award – Castrol project “Modelling of solid state adsorption of analytes from fluids” (2015-2019)
  
• PI in a ‘Sweep Enhancement’ project funded by British Petroleum Exploration PLC (2010 – 2014).
  
• Part-time (1 day per week) consultant for British Petroleum Exploration PLC (2010 – 2014).
  
• Elected QinetiQ Fellow, October 2009.
  
• PI in a METRC-funded project with SAFC HiTech PLC and Manchester University (2002 – 2005).

6. Organisation of international conferences and schools

• During his career, Lambert has organised 21 international conferences and schools.
  
• He was Founding Director of the EPSRC/IOP Theory of Condensed Matter Summer School, ‘Physics By The Lake,’ held initially in Ambleside (1997). This annual school is now part of the established landscape of training activities for first year, Theory of Condensed Matter, UK, PhD students.
  
• He co-founded the E.U. Windsor Summer School Series “Exotic States in Quantum Nanostructures,” (1999).