Top student shortlisted for European Physics award

Organised by the Leadership Forum in London, the awards are supported by leading global companies such as Microsoft Research, AstraZeneca and Airbus. Several professional bodies including the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Royal Society of Chemistry are also involved and participate in the judging process.

Neil is one of three finalists for the Best Physics Student, an award sponsored by the UK’s National Physical Laboratory.

He said of his nomination: "I am delighted to be on the shortlist for this influential prize and I am in the process of preparing my final presentation to the judges. Having graduated in July, winning this award would really be the icing on the cake and make 2010 a very special year for me.”

His MPhys project supervisor, Dr Mikhail Portnoi, commented: “Only the very best students are allowed by the judges to enter these awards. This major award is not given to any First class science undergraduate but is based on the strength and originality of their research project. 

“Neil is an outstanding physicist and would be an extremely worthy winner. I’ll be with him at the finals and will hopefully be able to celebrate with him.”

Neil has been shortlisted for his research project: "Trapping Electrons in Graphene using Electric Fields", part of his undergraduate MPhys (Physics) degree at Exeter. His project has already received this year's Newman prize awarded by the School of Physics for the most imaginative project. The central results of his project work have also been published in a leading US physics journal which is highly unusual for research carried out by an undergraduate.

The presentations will be made on September 3, 2010 at the London Hilton, Park Lane before an audience comprising hundreds of technology students, academics and senior industry executives as well as senior figures from government, scientific and technical institutions and the media.