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  • 2015-date: Lucasian Professor of Mathematics
  • 2007-2022: Royal Society Research Professor
  • 1995-2015: Professor of Natural Philosophy, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh
  • 1992-1995: University Lecturer, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge
  • 1989-1992: University Assistant Lecturer, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge
  • 1988-1989: Royal Society University Research Fellow, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge
  • 1985-1995: Junior Research Fellow (1985-1989), Teaching Fellow (1990-1995), Trinity College Cambridge

Research

Mike is a member of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. He heads the Soft Matter research group. His current research interests include: flow of colloids, polymers, emulsions, gels and other soft materials; shear-thickening and rheology in dense suspensions; dynamics of soft glasses; flow of liquid crystals; general theories of active matter; cellular locomotion; phase ordering in active and passive systems; statistical mechanics of active particles; and numerous other topics. He recently completed an ERC Advanced Grant called ADNeSP: Active and Driven Systems, Nonequilibrium Statistical Physics.

Prizes and Awards

  • 2021: International Member, US National Academy of Sciences
  • 2019: International Member, US National Academy of Engineering
  • 2016: Bingham Medal, US Society of Rheology
  • 2013: Weissenberg Award, European Society of Rheology
  • 2009: Dirac Medal and Prize, Institute of Physics
  • 2009: Gold Medal, British Society of Rheology
  • 2007: Fellow of the Royal Society (London)
  • 2005: Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
  • 1996: Fellow of the Institute of Physics
  • 1994: Prix Franco-Britannique (Paris Academy of Sciences)
  • 1991: Maxwell Prize and Medal, Institute of Physics

Publications

Rheological chaos in a scalar shear-thickening model.
ME Cates, DA Head, A Ajdari
– Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys
(2002)
66,
025202
Dynamics of interface instabilities in lamellar phases.
M Buchanan, J Leng, SU Egelhaaf, ME Cates
– ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2002)
224,
U485
Nonlinear viscoelasticity of wormlike micelles (and other reversibly breakable polymers)
ME Cates
– The Journal of Physical Chemistry
(2002)
94,
371
Effects of polydispersity in the end-grafted polymer brush
ST Milner, TA Witten, ME Cates
– Macromolecules
(2002)
22,
853
Uniaxial Elastic Modulus of Concentrated Emulsions
DMA Buzza, ME Cates
– Langmuir
(2002)
10,
4503
Dynamics of wormlike micelles: the "bond-interchange" reaction scheme
MS Turner, C Marques, ME Cates
– Langmuir
(2002)
9,
695
Osmotic pressure of dense emulsion systems: the role of double-layer forces
DMA Buzza, ME Cates
– Langmuir
(2002)
9,
2264
Nonequilibrium forces between adsorbed polymer layers: the case of fixed surface contact density
JT Brooks, ME Cates
– Macromolecules
(2002)
25,
391
Sponge phases in surfactant solutions
D Roux, C Coulon, ME Cates
– The Journal of Physical Chemistry
(2002)
96,
4174
Diblock copolymers: comicellization and coadsorption
DFK Shim, C Marques, ME Cates
– Macromolecules
(2002)
24,
5309
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Research Group

Soft Matter

Room

G1.08

Telephone

01223 337912