Joe is a Lecturer of Materials Science in the Department of Materials at the University of Manchester. His research is in the realm of materials modelling – using theoretical tools to model and predict the properties of materials. In particular, Joe is interested in optical, thermal, and vibrational properties of systems, with a focus on large-scale or complex solids. Much of his work focuses on developing new methods to model such properties, as well as applying them.

In his research, Joe typically makes use of first principles materials modelling methods, i.e., those that aim to predict behaviour from the equations of quantum mechanics. His work usually involves the workhorse of materials modelling, density functional theory (DFT), but often other methods as well. He is an active developer of the widely used DFT codes ONETEP and CASTEP; he is also closely involved with Psi-k, a Europe-based network of researchers in first principles computational materials science.

Joe obtained a 1st class MPhys degree in Physics from the University of Oxford (University College) in 2014, conducting his final year MPhys project under the supervision of Dr Amalia Coldea. He then moved to the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, obtaining a PhD in computational condensed matter physics in 2017, under the supervision of Professor Richard Needs; his thesis, entitled ‘Investigating anharmonic effects in condensed matter systems’, was awarded the 2018 IoP Theory of Condensed Matter Group “Sam Edwards” Thesis Prize.

From 2017-2019, Joe was a postdoctoral research associate at Imperial College London working with Professors Arash Mostofi and Peter Haynes, and dually affiliated to the Departments of Materials and Physics.

From 2020-2024, Joe held the position of Cooksey Early Career Teaching and Research Fellow in Materials Science at St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, and affiliated to the Department of Materials. Prior to joining Manchester, Joe was a Fellow by Special Election at St Edmund Hall, and a postdoctoral research associate in the group of Professor Rebecca Nicholls.

In his spare time, Joe enjoys walks in the countryside, a good science fiction/fantasy book, and board games.