Chris studied Natural Sciences at Christ’s and went on to complete a PhD at the Cavendish Laboratory. He joined the University of St Andrews as Reader in 2006, and University College London as Professor in 2009. In 2015 he returned to Cambridge as the Sir Alan Cottrell Professor of Materials Science and established the Materials Theory Group in the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy.
Chris develops theoretical and computational approaches to the study of materials at the atomic scale. Starting from quantum mechanics, he writes computer codes to explore the structure and properties of these materials. Applications range from the design of better battery cathodes, pharmaceutical compounds, and high temperature superconductors to the depths of giant planets and other exotic dense matter.