Karen Syres

Karen Syres

Dr. Karen Syres
University of Central Lancashire
Personal Website
Vacuum National Society Website
Keywords: Photoemission, X-ray absorption, Ionic liquids, Nanomaterials, Solar cells

Karen was awarded a PhD in Physics by The University of Manchester in 2010 for her thesis investigating molecular adsorption at TiO2 surfaces for photovoltaic and biomedical applications. Following her PhD, Karen won an EPSRC one-year scholarship which she carried out at The University of Manchester. In 2011 Karen moved to the School of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow where she investigated ionic liquid interfaces. In 2015 Karen joined the University of Central Lancashire as a Lecturer in Physics and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2020. Karen’s research primarily focusses on materials for energy. She is particularly interested in ionic liquids which show great promise for transforming industrial processes such as CO2 capture, catalysis and photovoltaics. She carries out most of her research at synchrotron facilities using techniques such as Photoemission Spectroscopy and X-ray absorption. She also uses near-ambient pressure facilities which allow in-situ studies of liquids and gases. Karen is Chair of the Institute of Physics (IOP) Thin Films and Surfaces Group and a co-opted member of the British Vacuum Council.


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