Ivan Vera Marun

Dr. Ivan J. Vera Marun did his undergraduate degree in Electronics (2002) at the Universidad Simón Bolívar (Venezuela), followed by an MSc on Nanotechnology (2005) and PhD (2010) at the Mesa+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente (the Netherlands). He then worked with Prof. Bart van Wees at the The Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen. During 2014 he was a Senior Visiting Research Fellow with Prof. Barbaros Özyilmaz at the Graphene Research Centre, National University of Singapore.

Since 2015 he joined The University of Manchester as a Lecturer in Condensed Matter Physics. He serves in the Management Board of the Graphene NOWNANO EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training, and fulfils the role of 2nd year examiner at the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He is happy to work in physics, both research and education, an interest of his since he participated in the III Ibero-American Physics Olympiad.

Outreach Coordinator at the Graphene NOWNANO EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training since September 2015. In this role he co-organises and manages participation of CDT students in a dozen of outreach and public communication events per year.

In 2016 he co-organised the first edition of the Nano Masterclass, where A-Level students and their teachers experience a full day of lectures, hands-on sessions and lab tours. You are welcome to explore the impact CDT students have on society via our outreach webpage and social media presence, and to learn about other social responsibility items under the 'Activities' tab.

His work focuses on nanoelectronics, with interest on spin-dependent transport (spintronics) in graphene and other 2D materials. Other areas of expertise include spin-dependent tunneling in complex oxides, scanning probe microscopy and metallic spin-valve sensors.

Work on these areas has been done within an NWO Fellowship to study "spin caloritronics", and in the EU FET project Curved Nanomembranes for Topological Quantum Computation (CNTQC) that led to the International Workshop TOP-SPIN 3 "Spin and Topological phenomena in nanostructures", in Dresden (Germany) in 2017. You are welcome to read about other scientific events under the 'Activities' tab.

Scholarly peer review

Nature Publishing Group: Nature Materials, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Physics, Nature Electronics, Scientific Reports
American Physical Society: Physical Review Letters, Physical Review B
American Chemical Society: Nano Letters
American Institute of Physics: Applied Physics Letters, Journal of Applied Physics
IOP Publishing: 2D Materials, Nano Futures, New Journal of Physics, Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics
U.S. Department of Energy: Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

See here for up-to-date records of peer review activity.

We recruit from a wide range of backgrounds, including physics, electronics, materials, computer science and related disciplines. We are always interested in talking to self-funded students and prospective postdoctoral researchers and can tailor projects to your interests and strengths.

Information regarding entry requirements for postgraduate degrees (PhD and MSc by Research) in Condensed Matter Physics.

Explore funding options available for doctoral candidates in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. These include:

•  Studentships awarded through the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Science and Applications of Graphene and Related Nanomaterials, Graphene NOWNANO CDT.
• The Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund supports graduates who wish to study PhD physics and are from groups that are currently under-represented in physics. Potential applicants are invited to register their interest via the Institute of Physics website.
  

We have available fully funded scholarships within the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
Awards for entry in September typically typically require applications by the prior December or January. Each award has its own eligibility and key dates, so please check the corresponding details. Some of these are:

• Through our Postgraduate Research Teaching Associate (PGRTA) scholarship we offer UK applicants the chance to research and earn a teaching salary.
• The School of Natural Sciences Diversity PhD Scholarships for students residing in the UK who are eligible for home fees and who identify as Black.
• We are offering a limited number of Dean’s Doctoral Scholarship Awards to UK and international applicants with a profile of academic excellence.
• The President’s Doctoral Scholarship (PDS) scheme supports applicants of the highest calibre and is open to all nationalities.

Students from China (mainland) can also apply to the Joint Scholarship Programme with the China Scholarship Council for PhD study.

If you are interested in joining as a postdoctoral researcher, funding is available through established fellowships including EPSRC Postdoctoral Fellowships, Marie Curie individual fellowships, and Royal Society Fellowships.

Another postdoctoral funding is the Newton International Fellowship scheme for non-UK scientists who are at an early stage of their research career and wish to conduct research in the UK.

Teaching & Learning duties

2nd Year Examiner.

Personal tutor for undergraduate Y1-Y4 Physics students.

Supervisor for PGT MPhys, PGR MPhil students, and PhD students.

Units taught as course leader/lecturer:

The core group is focused on spintronics and thermoelectrics in graphene and other 2D materials. The group forms part of the wider Condensed Matter Physics group in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

 Core members:

  Ivan J. Vera Marun

  Principal Investigator

  Dr Christopher Anderson

  PhD student

  EPSRC DTP