By Dr Fabien Massabuau
Chancellor’s Fellow
University of Strathclyde
Dr Fabien Massabuau has been a Chancellor’s Fellow in the Department of Physics at the University of Strathclyde since September 2019, where he is establishing a research activity on Gallium Oxide semiconductors for ultraviolet optoelectronic applications. In a broader context his group specialises in using scanning electron microscopes in a variety of ways in order to learn as much as is possible (e.g. chemistry, structure, luminescence) about the materials they study.
Before that, he spent time at the University of Cambridge in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, from 2011 to 2019, for his PhD and postdoc. Most of that work was focussing on III-Nitride semiconductors, the material used in today’s light emitting diodes (LEDs). He investigated how the nanostructure of the materials was impacting the light emission properties of LEDs. Still largely focussed on III-Nitrides, he also developed methodologies to observe the same nanoscale area of a material under different microscopes – this approach unlocked new knowledge about the behaviour of defects in the material.
Outside of his research activities, he is involved in the Doctoral Researcher Awards competition as chair of the Engineering division. He is also a committee member for the UK Nitride Consortium and is on the editorial board of Springer Nature Applied Sciences. Additionally, he is enthusiastic about outreach and public engagement. For example, with summer students he designed a mobile application “LED Lab” that introduces LEDs, the physics behind them and their applications.
His research interests include semiconductor materials and optical devices, and microscopy in all its forms. By taking part in the European Crucible, he would like to foster collaborations that explore different and new applications for the materials he studies. He is also interested in exploring ways to expand the Doctoral Researcher Awards into an international interdisciplinary competition.
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