Helen Gleeson
{{short description|British physicist}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Helen Gleeson
| honorific_suffix = OBE
| image = Helen Gleeson presenting at the Imperial College London Chirality Conference, January 2019.jpg
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| birth_name = Helen F. Gleeson
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| fields = {{Plainlist|
| workplaces = University of Leeds
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| alma_mater = University of Manchester (BSc, PhD)
| thesis_title = Optical and electro-optical properties of chiral mesophases
| thesis_url = http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.383374
| thesis_year = 1986
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| awards = {{Plainlist|
- Holweck Medal (2012)
- OBE (2009)
- FInstP}}
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| website = {{URL|https://physicalsciences.leeds.ac.uk/staff/108/professor-helen-f-gleeson}}
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}}Helen Frances Gleeson OBE FInstP is a British physicist who specialises in soft matter and liquid crystals. She is Cavendish Professor and former Head of the School of Physics at the University of Leeds.{{Cite web|last=Sciences|first=Faculty of Engineering and Physical|title=Professor Mark Thompson appointed as new Head of School of Physics and Astronomy|url=https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/physics/news/article/5695/professor-mark-thompson-appointed-as-new-head-of-school-of-physics-and-astronomy|access-date=2021-05-04|website=eps.leeds.ac.uk|language=en}}
Education and early career
Gleeson grew up in the North of England and attended a secondary school in Keighley.{{Cite web|url=http://www.wiset.eps.manchester.ac.uk/profiles/gleeson/|title=Profiles - Helen Gleeson (Women in Science, Engineering and Technology - The University of Manchester)|website=www.wiset.eps.manchester.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-01-12}} She studied A-Levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry. She graduated from the University of Manchester in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Physics.{{cite web|url=http://www.wes.org.uk/content/helen-gleeson|title=Helen Gleeson | Women's Engineering Society|publisher=wes.org.uk|accessdate=2014-06-12}} She went on to study for a PhD which she was awarded in 1986 for investigations of the optical and electro-optical properties of chiral mesophases.{{cite thesis |degree=PhD |first=Helen|last=Gleeson |title=Optical and electro-optical properties of chiral mesophases |publisher=University of Manchester |date=1986 |url=http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.383374|authorlink=Helen Gleeson}} She remained at Manchester, working as a senior scientist in the Wolfson Liquid Crystal industrially funded research centre. She was made a university lecturer in 1989.
Research
Gleeson's research investigates self-assembling and self-ordering materials, especially chiral liquid crystals.{{cite journal | doi = 10.1021/nl080649i | title=Graphene-Based Liquid Crystal Device | journal=Nano Letters | date=2008 | volume=8 | issue=6 | pages=1704–1708 | first=Peter | last=Blake | pmid=18444691| arxiv=0803.3031 | bibcode=2008NanoL...8.1704B | s2cid=14620203 }}{{cite journal | doi = 10.1039/B808283A | title=Unusual properties of a bent-core liquid-crystalline fluid | journal=Soft Matter | publisher= Royal Society of Chemistry| date=2009 | volume=5 | issue=2 | pages=463–471 | first=Verena | last=Görtz| bibcode=2009SMat....5..463G }}{{cite journal | doi = 10.1038/nature04242 | title=Nanofabricated media with negative permeability at visible frequencies | journal=Nature | date=2005 | volume=438 | issue=7066 | pages=335–338 | first=A. N. | last=Grigorenko | pmid=16292306| arxiv=physics/0504178 | bibcode=2005Natur.438..335G | s2cid=6379234 }} At the University of Manchester, Gleeson was made Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences in 2004. Between 2008 and 2010 she served as Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy. She has served as the Chairman of the British Liquid Crystal Society. It was announced that Glesson would move to the University of Leeds as Head of School and Cavendish Chair of Physics in late 2014.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-04 |title=New Head of Physics for University {{!}} For Staff {{!}} University of Leeds |url=https://forstaff.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/4541/new-head-of-physics-for-university |access-date=2022-07-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704125917/https://forstaff.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/4541/new-head-of-physics-for-university |archive-date=2022-07-04 }} The position has been occupied by several eminent physicists, including William Henry Bragg. She joined the University of Leeds in January 2015, but maintains a position at the University of Manchester as a visiting scientist.{{Cite web|url=https://physicalsciences.leeds.ac.uk/staff/108/professor-helen-f-gleeson|title=Profile for Professor Helen F. Gleeson {{!}} School of Physics and Astronomy {{!}} University of Leeds|last=Sciences|first=Faculty of Mathematics and Physical|website=physicalsciences.leeds.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-03-17}}{{Cite web|url=http://es1.ph.man.ac.uk/LC_Webpage/liquid_crystals/News.html|title=News January 2015.|website=es1.ph.man.ac.uk|access-date=2019-01-12}}{{Cite web|url=http://es1.ph.man.ac.uk/LC_Webpage/liquid_crystals/Staff.html|title=Academic and Research staff|website=es1.ph.man.ac.uk|access-date=2019-01-12}} She is interested in novel experimental techniques to characterise liquid crystals, and in 2016 contributed a chapter on Raman spectroscopy to the book Liquid Crystals with Nano and Microparticles.{{Citation|last=Gleeson|first=Helen F.|chapter=Raman spectroscopy|date=2014-07-20|volume=7|pages=255–276|series=Series in Soft Condensed Matter|publisher=WORLD SCIENTIFIC|doi=10.1142/9789814619264_0007|isbn=9789814619257|title=Liquid Crystals with Nano and Microparticles}}
Her work concentrates on the experimental study of liquid crystals; in particular those with reduced symmetry. She looks to use liquid crystals for photonics. She holds several patents, including one for switchable contact lenses where the application of a voltage can change the refractive index of a liquid crystal.{{Cite web|url=https://patents.justia.com/inventor/helen-frances-gleeson|title=Patents by Inventor Helen Frances Gleeson|website=JUSTIA Patents|access-date=2019-01-12}} This can moderate the focus of the lenses, the same as changing putting on reading glasses. She has also invented liquid crystalline temperature recorders, where the liquid crystal contains a reactive monomer and an initiator that can crosslink.{{Cite journal|last1=Turner|first1=Michael Lewis|last2=Wasikiewicz|first2=Jaroslaw Mariusz|last3=Woodyatt|first3=Neville Christopher Paul|last4=Grieve|first4=Bruce Donald|last5=Kaur|first5=Sarabjot|last6=Brimicombe|first6=Paul Douglas|last7=Dierking|first7=Ingo|last8=Gleeson|first8=Helen Frances|last9=Yeates|first9=Stephen George|date=2012-01-19|title=Temperature recorder comprising a liquid crystalline material|url=https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/temperature-recorder-comprising-a-liquid-crystalline-material(10e49e40-cbcc-47f3-ad07-0ff4ce9713ae)/export.html|language=English}} Working with Andre Geim, Gleeson produced the first graphene liquid crystal device. The devices contained transparent graphene electrodes, and had an exceptionally high contrast ratio.{{Cite journal|last1=Blake|first1=Peter|last2=Brimicombe|first2=Paul D.|last3=Nair|first3=Rahul R.|last4=Booth|first4=Tim J.|last5=Jiang|first5=Da|last6=Schedin|first6=Fred|last7=Ponomarenko|first7=Leonid A.|last8=Morozov|first8=Sergey V.|last9=Gleeson|first9=Helen F.|date=2008-06-01|title=Graphene-Based Liquid Crystal Device|journal=Nano Letters|volume=8|issue=6|pages=1704–1708|doi=10.1021/nl080649i|pmid=18444691|issn=1530-6984|arxiv=0803.3031|bibcode=2008NanoL...8.1704B|s2cid=14620203}} Gleeson went on to use graphene in the switchable liquid crystalline contact lenses. In 2015, Gleeson and her PhD student Devesh Mistry were awarded a Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 industry fellowship to work with UltraVision on novel contact lenses that incorporate liquid crystals into intraocular lenses, particularly for people suffering from presbyopia.{{Cite web|url=https://ultravision.co.uk/news/industrial-fellowship-royal-commission/|title=An End to Reading Glasses Leads to Industrial Fellowship from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851|website=ultravision.co.uk|access-date=2019-01-12}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/3775/is_the_end_in_sight_for_reading_glasses|title=Is the end in sight for reading glasses?|last=Barson|first=Rachel|website=www.leeds.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-01-12}}
In 2017 she launched a five-year £1 million partnership with Merck Group to investigate liquid crystals in optical innovations.{{Cite web|url=https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/4051/partnership_aims_for_a_new_generation_of_optical_instruments|title=Partnership aims for a new generation of optical instruments|last=Martinez|first=Anna|website=www.leeds.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-01-12}} In 2018 Gleeson and Mistry demonstrated a negative order parameter in a liquid crystal elastomer.{{Cite journal|last1=Gleeson|first1=H. F.|last2=Clamp|first2=J. H.|last3=Morgan|first3=P. B.|last4=Mickthwaite|first4=S. L.|last5=Connell|first5=S. D.|last6=Mistry|first6=D.|date=2018-12-04|title=Coincident molecular auxeticity and negative order parameter in a liquid crystal elastomer|journal=Nature Communications|language=en|volume=9|issue=1|pages=5095|doi=10.1038/s41467-018-07587-y|pmid=30514842|pmc=6279820|arxiv=1807.03608|bibcode=2018NatCo...9.5095M|issn=2041-1723}} This work marked a breakthrough for the auxetic liquid crystal community; offering the first synthetic molecular auxetic polymer. Her current research includes liquid crystals for laser protection and biosensing.{{Cite web|url=https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-1823177|title=Novel liquid crystal filters for laser protection: understanding the physics of new modes and their incorporation in devices|website=gtr.ukri.org|access-date=2019-01-12}}{{Cite web|url=https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP/P024041/1|title=LC2 droplet biosensors: Lipid-coated Liquid Crystal Droplets as Highly Sensitive, Selective Sensors of Bacterial Toxins and other Bio-active Molecule|website=gtr.ukri.org|access-date=2019-01-12}} She looks to develop a flexible and cheap strip that acts like a Liquid crystal thermometer, but instead of monitoring changes in temperature changes colour when it detects a bacterial toxin or biomarker.
Throughout her career, Gleeson has been involved in several initiatives to improve gender balance in physics.{{YouTube|id=gC8Su16lrkY|title=Prof. HELEN GLEESON - BBC BREAKFAST - 03 October 2012 - Physics for GIRLS}} She is involved with the Women's Engineering Society.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wes.org.uk/role-models/helen-gleeson|title=Helen Gleeson {{!}} Women's Engineering Society|website=www.wes.org.uk|access-date=2019-01-12}} She was awarded an Order of the British Empire in 2009, in recognition of her outreach efforts, and in particular her work to increase the number of girls studying physics. She has served as chair of the Institute of Physics JUNO assessment panel.{{Cite web|url=http://www.iop.org/news/14/feb/page_62444.html|title=Action already being taken for Women in Scientific Careers|website=www.iop.org|access-date=2019-01-12}}
Select publications
- {{Cite Q|Q34774749}}
- {{Cite Q|Q31121963}}
- {{Cite Q|Q98392488}}
Awards and honours
- 2018 Times Higher Education Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year award{{Cite web|url=http://www.ukcge.ac.uk/article/helen-gleeson-leeds-orsoty-2018-402.aspx|title=Helen Gleeson from University of Leeds Named Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year 2018|website=www.ukcge.ac.uk|access-date=2019-01-12}}
- 2013 British Liquid Crystal Society Gray Medal{{Cite web|url=http://blcs.eng.cam.ac.uk/?page_id=55|title=Gray Medal |publisher=British Liquid Crystal Society |access-date=2019-01-12}}
- 2012 Société Française de Physique and Institute of Physics Holweck Medal and Prize{{Cite web|url=https://www.lcinet.kent.edu/ILCS/main/news/files/f5290b7861d4141be2399a84e91abb8f-29.html|title=Holweck Prize awarded to Helen Gleeson {{!}} ILCS news|website=www.lcinet.kent.edu|access-date=2019-01-12|archive-date=2021-07-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724064904/https://www.lcinet.kent.edu/ILCS/main/news/files/f5290b7861d4141be2399a84e91abb8f-29.html|url-status=dead}}
- 2009 Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Birthday Honours, "for services to science"{{London Gazette |issue=59090 |date=12 June 2009 |page=10 |supp=1}}
- 2006 British Liquid Crystal Society Hilsum Medal{{Cite web|url=http://blcs.eng.cam.ac.uk/?page_id=65|title=Hilsum Medal |publisher=British Liquid Crystal Society |access-date=2019-01-12}}
References
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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Academics of the University of Manchester
Category:Academics of the University of Leeds
Category:Fellows of the Institute of Physics
Category:Alumni of the Victoria University of Manchester