Malcolm McMahon

I am Professor of High Pressure Physics in the School of Physics & Astronomy at The University of Edinburgh, Deputy Director of the University’s Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions (CSEC), and an AWE William Penney Fellow.

My research interests are in using x-ray diffraction and scattering to investigate the behaviour of simple materials to extreme pressures and temperature. I am a frequent user of synchrotron light sources in the UK, Europe and the US, where we have developed techniques to collect and analyse diffraction data from both polycrystalline and single-crystal samples. Most recently, my research interests have moved to the use of dynamic compression techniques, utilising powerful laser sources, to push structural studies of matter well beyond the current limits of static compression science.