The Thorneywork Lab

Professor Alice Thorneywork

I am an Associate Professor of Physical Chemistry and Royal Society University Research Fellow  at the Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford. I am also Tutorial Fellow in Physical Chemistry at Lincoln College, Oxford. 

I completed my undergraduate degree in Chemistry and DPhil in Physical and Theoretical Chemistry at Christ Church, University of Oxford.   Here, my doctoral work in the group of Prof. Roel Dullens focused on the use of colloidal model hard sphere systems to probe the structure, dynamics and phase behaviour of two-dimensional materials. This work led to me receiving the 2019 RSC Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics Group (SMTG) Young Scientist Award. In 2016, I moved to the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge first as a postdoc in the group of Prof. Ulrich Keyser, before beginning my independent research career in the department as an Oppenheimer Research Fellow (2018-2021) and, from 2021, a Royal Society University Research Fellow.

Email: alice.thorneywork (at) chem.ox.ac.uk

Anna Drummond Young

Anna studied physics as part of the Natural Sciences Tripos at Pembroke College, Cambridge. She became interested in soft matter and completed her Master's project in the Thorneywork group, studying how polymer adsorption affects noise in the ionic current in glass nanopores. Now she is continuing her research as a DPhil student, and is especially interested in the role different salts play in nanopore systems. While outside the lab, she loves running and hiking, crocheting, and trips to the pub (especially for a pub quiz).

Eleanor Mackay

Eleanor completed her final year project as part of the Thorneywork group while studying Physics at Cambridge. She is now in her second year as a DPhil student with us, where she has been investigating the dynamics of density fluctuations in colloidal suspensions, and what this can tell us about interparticle interactions. Away from the lab, Eleanor enjoys running, reading detective novels, and outdoor swimming. 

James Tett

James completed his BA and MSci degrees in physics at Christ’s College, Cambridge as part of the Natural Sciences Tripos. During his undergraduate studies, he served as an organ scholar and was an academic scholar at Christ’s. For his master’s degree, he investigated DNA hybridisation dynamics in picolitre droplets. Now in the Thorneywork group, James is continuing his studies in non-equilibrium systems, focusing on transport and conformational change of model polymers. James is a keen musician, runner, and philosopher/theologian (even speaking at his college chapel) and can often be found frequenting the organs of Oxford.