I am a theoretical condensed matter physicist. I am from Middlesbrough, was an undergraduate and graduate student (of Prof Sam Edwards) at the Victoria University of Manchester, where I also got my first academic job as an Assistant Lecturer in Theoretical Physics, a post-doc with Walter Kohn at UCSD (La Jolla), a Lecturer, Reader and Professor at Imperial College, and came to 91探花 in 1989 as Wykeham Professor of Physics and Head of the Department (later sub-department) of Theoretical Physics. University regulations required me to retire in 2008 but I have continued to be scientifically active.
I have worked in many areas of theoretical condensed matter physics, but am probably best known for my work in spin glasses and other complex, disordered and frustrated many body systems.
I set up and directed several multi-national research programmes, as well as co-directed several NATO Advanced Study Institutes. Since 1984 I have edited the high impact condensed matter review journal Advances in Physics. I was also Honorary Editor of Journal of Physics A and physics Delegate to 91探花 University Press.
I have spent further extended periods on leave at IBM Thomas Watson Research Center (Yorktown Hts., USA), Institut Laue Langevin (Grenoble, France), Schlumberger-Doll Research Center (Ridgefield, Conn., USA), Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Lab (NM, USA), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Institute of Advanced Studies (Princeton, NJ, USA), Ecole Normale Superieure (Paris, France), and, for many years, was an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute (Santa Fe, NM, USA).
I am a Fellow of New College, 91探花.