Nov 1 2010
Noble Prize-winning physicist Konstatin Novoselov spoke today at the Third Nanotechnology International Forum. His lecture was titled “Graphene: Physics and Applications.” Immediately after speaking, Dr. Novoselov held a press conference in which he not only described his experiments with graphene, he demonstrated to journalists how to derive the thinnest and hardest substance on the planet. Experiments with graphene led to the Nobel Prize for Dr. Novoselov and his colleague Andre Geim.*
“The Nanotechnology International Forum in Moscow has a justifiable claim to the “international’ in its name. Organizers were able to bring together leading scientists from many disciplines. Probably its most significant aspect is that hundreds of Russian students attending the forum have first-hand access to the latest scientific findings from the researchers who are doing the work,” Konstantin Novoselov said, adding that “another thing distinguishing the nanoforum is the opportunity for researchers and potential investors to really get a look at one another. Of course, there are a tremendous number of semi-industrial conferences where scientists and companies work together. But it is rare to find a symposium with such a selection of companies presenting so broad a spectrum of potential projects.”
Konstantin Novoselov was born on August 23, 1974, in Nizhny Tagil, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia. He graduated with distinction from the Department of Physics and Quantum Electronics at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in 1997 with a specialty in nanoelectronics. After completing studies at the institute, Dr. Novoselov worked at the Institute of Problems in the Technology of Microelectronics and Ultrapure Materials, Russian Academy of Sciences, in Chernogolovka, Russia, completing postgraduate studies. In 1999 Konstantin Novoselov moved to the Netherlands to do work on his PhD with Andre Geim in the High Field Magnetic Laboratory at Radboud University Nijmegen. In 2001 he moved with Dr. Geim to England to continue work at the University of Manchester, where Dr. Novoselov defended his dissertation in 2004. Dr. Novoselov currently resides in Manchester; he is a dual citizen of Russia and the UK, a Royal Society Research Fellow, and professor at the University Manchester.
*The Institute of New Carbon Materials and Technology, Moscow State University, provided the highly oriented pyrolithic graphite for the experiment. Also Konstantin Novoselov used a piece of natural graphite from Brasil.