I am a Organometallic chemist, and my chief interest is is the interaction of hetero-atomic molecules with transition metals, specifically copper, zinc, and iron. Hetero-atomic molecules are those that include atoms such as sulphur and nitrogen in addition to carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. I like to examine the electrochemistry of the metal surface and how it changes when certain hetero-atomic molecules are brought into contact with it under a variety of conditions such as pressure, sliding and wear. I am particularly interested in the Extreme Pressure (EP) elements- Sulphur, Phosphorus, and Chlorine.
The boundary regime of lubrication is also of interest to me, specifically the area of the transition from Elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHDL) through the Thin Film (TFL) regime, and into the Boundary regime. I hope to do a lot of work in this area one day. The research group in Mechnical Engineering at the Imperial College of London, headed up by Dr. Hugh Spikes, is a good place to start if you would like to learn more about this area of study.
I also like to investigate the oxidation of aluminum when I am not otherwise occupied