Natural Sciences (Physical)

Anna Allen is in the final stages of a PhD in computer science at the University of Cambridge. Originally from Tasmania, she holds a Master’s in Meteorology from the University of Melbourne and a BSc in Pure Mathematics and Theoretical Physics from the University of Tasmania. Her research applies machine learning to environmental sciences, with a particular focus on developing data-driven forecasting systems for both global weather and high-impact phenomena such as tropical cyclones, tornadoes, and wildfires. During her PhD, she worked part-time with the United Nations Environment Programme to develop an operational system for detecting large greenhouse gas emissions to inform mitigation strategies. 

As a Junior Research Fellow at King’s, she will work on developing end-to-end foundation models for Earth system observation and forecasting, spanning weather, ocean, and air quality prediction. This will include designing bespoke regional forecasting systems for low-resource areas by integrating intelligent sensor placement with AI forecasting models, with pilot projects already underway in the Arctic and planned for West Africa.

Dr Shannon Bonke is a renewable energy scientist researching catalysts for energy conversion and storage reactions, especially the synthesis of fuels from solar power. His research is interdisciplinary and explores catalytic mechanisms using complementary cutting-edge electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques.

Dr James Dolan's scientific research is at the intersection of nanophotonics and soft matter physics. He investigated ways to use the (directed) self-assembly of liquid crystals and block copolymers to create two- and three-dimensional optical metasurfaces and metamaterials with dynamically reconfigurable optical properties. James' current research, however, focuses on science communication. He is interested in how scientists’ conceptions of science—what it is, how it works, and what its for—affect how and why they communicate their science. In addition, he is interested in science communication and improvised comedy (improv), exploring the use of improv both as a form of science communication training and as a novel form of public engagement.

James also serves as Financial Tutor.

Research: Cold atom technologies, dark matter and gravitational waves, new methods of cooling and manipulating atoms, developing techniques for transport and cooling of ultracold strontium

Research: Development of new heterogeneously-catalyzed routes relevant to organic synthesis especially with respect to the production of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Energy-related applications of catalysis, including high temperature fuel cells. Molecular self-assembly, chiral systems and enantioselective catalysis. Plasma-driven catalysis, nanoarchitectures for sensing and catalytic applications. New materials for hydrogen storage. Studies of high-energy helium and hydrogen ion implantation in alloys relevant to the operation of thermonuclear reactors. A wide range of experimental conditions are used ranging from single crystal surfaces in ultra high vacuum to nanoparticle systems in liquids under high pressure.

Research: Geodynamics, geophysics and tectonics; igneous, metamorphic and volcanic Studies.

MJ is a Kavli Institute Postdoctoral Fellow at Kavli Institute for Cosmology, Cambridge (KICC) and at the Department of Physics (Cavendish Laboratory). She is interested in understanding how galaxies formed in the early universe and how they evolved throughout cosmic time. Her doctoral thesis focuses on the formation of massive quiescent galaxies – galaxies that no longer form stars and remain red and dead (“quenched”). She uses both observational and theoretical techniques to study their star-formation histories, quenching mechanisms, and chemical abundances. She has also developed new stellar population models which can be used to fit observed galaxy spectra and derive accurate properties of galaxies (e.g., age and mass).

As a Research Fellow at King’s, she plans to apply the new models she developed to massive quiescent galaxies found in the early Universe, in the first billion years after the Big Bang. The new models will help reveal their true formation histories, answering one of the key questions in astronomy – how the first galaxies in the Universe grow into the most massive galaxies today.

MJ completed her PhD in Astronomy & Astrophysics at Harvard University in 2025. She is originally from Seoul, South Korea. She did her undergrad and master’s in astronomy at Yonsei University, where she studied the origin of diverse morphology/shapes of galaxies using high-resolution cosmological galaxy simulations.

Research

Nick is an earth scientist who applies chemistry to understand and interpret the processes that shape the composition of natural waters. His research group integrates theory, experiments, and field-based observations to address problems including: the co-evolution of seawater chemistry and climate through Earth's history, the environmental conditions promoting the synthesis of molecular building blocks at the origin of life on Earth, the chemical evolution of a wide range of natural waters on modern Earth, and unravelling the chemical evolution of ancient environments on the surface of Mars.

Nick is an Associate Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe, a 10-year multidisciplinary initiative focused on developing a robust understanding of life on Earth, its origins, and its potential distribution beyond Earth. Nick is also a science team member of NASA's 2020 Mars Perseverance Rover mission and is actively involved in international efforts to define the scientific objectives of Mars Sample Return and plan the scientific capabilities and management processes of the sample receiving facility.

At Cambridge, Nick coordinates and teaches on the IA Earth Sciences course (which for many NST students, is their first encounter with the subject), as well as Part IB, Part II, and Part III Earth Sciences. In supervising students from King's, Nick views teaching at the College as an opportunity to highlight and develop fascinating connections between earth sciences and many other subjects including chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, and mathematics.

Research
 

Rob's research in Materials Science has focused on the joining of materials with an emphasis on modelling, generally in collaborative programmes with industry.  Applications include predicting the performance of joints in electronic devices, improving jet engine components and enhancing the fabrication of car bodies.

Rob has taught extensively in the University in different capacities which include Materials Science, Personal and Professional Development courses, setting up and running outreach courses (for primary school kids, prospective students, teachers and the public more generally) as well as summer science programmes (he is a former Director of the University’s Science Summer School). He currently lectures extensively to raise awareness about sustainability and separately to introduce Materials Science to undergraduates from across the world on summer programmes.

In addition to departmental research and teaching, Rob is a former Vice-Provost at King's College where he also was Senior Tutor for six years (hence responsible for the education and welfare of the college’s undergraduates and graduates), and subsequently for seven years was responsible for running the University’s Senior Tutors’ Committee and its various sub-committees. More recently, he was the University's Director of Postdoctoral Affairs (now the Postdoctoral Academy) to support and advocate for the University’s 4,000 postdoctoral early career researchers.  Thus, he has been involved at a senior level in a wide range of University and inter-Collegiate issues. 

Subject: Natural Sciences (Physics)