Leading physicist appointed to chair at the University of York
Posted on 16 July 2004
Professor Chantrell is an international specialist in studies of magnetic materials, and is Research Director of the Theory Department at the Seagate Research organisation in Pittsburgh. Seagate has led the way in developing high-capacity storage on hard disc drives, thereby helping to revolutionise the computer world. Professor Chantrell's research is applicable to the understanding of important materials such as magnetic recording media.
His work is primarily the development of mathematical models to explain measurements of the magnetic properties of materials such as magnetic recording media. This helps to understand the way the materials perform in practical applications, and is very important in the field of magnetic recording, where information storage densities are increasing rapidly, imposing more and more stringent requirements on the properties of the media.
His work has been at the forefront of the development of theoretical micromagnetics and he produced the first thermodynamically consistent micromagnetic approach, especially relevant to understanding the high-frequency behaviour of recording media and the long-term stability of recorded information.
He is a fellow of the Institute of Physics, a Member of the European Physical Society, and a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
Professor Chantrell gained his BSc and PhD in Physics at the University of Wales. He is editor of the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials. He said: "I am very pleased to be taking up this appointment as York has great strength in condensed matter physics. I am looking forward to working with colleagues within the department, and I also relish the opportunity to work with colleagues across the University".
Professor Rex Godby, Head of the Department of Physics, said: "Professor Chantrell is an internationally renowned leader in a cutting-edge discipline. His work is exceptional, and we are delighted that he is joining us to complement the multi-disciplinary research of the department.
Notes to editors:
- The Department of Physics achieved a perfect 24/24 score in the Physics Subject Review for teaching quality.
- During the first 40 years of its life, the University has become recognised for excellence in both research and teaching. Now, to sustain this excellence, it is about to embark on a major programme of expansion, which will involve significant growth in academic departments.
- The University's expansion will lead to an increase of student numbers, with a particular emphasis on postgraduate and international students. The research community is expected to benefit particularly from the expansion, with more space available for research teams, spin-out companies, and opportunities to explore new subject areas.
- York was named 'University of the Year' by the Sunday Times in September 2003.