Richard A. Jones (physicist)

Jones was educated at Denstone College^[1] and St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he studied the Natural Sciences Tripos and was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics 1983.^[1] He continued his study at the University of Cambridge where his PhD investigated diffusion in polymer blends.^[10]

After postdoctoral research at Cornell University, he was appointed a lecturer at the University of Cambridge based at the Cavendish Laboratory^[1] and in 1998 was appointed a professor at the University of Sheffield.^[11]

Jones' research^[4][8] investigates the physics of Polymers and Biopolymers at surfaces and interfaces, with implications for polymer blends.^[6][3] He pioneered the use of ion beam methods to study the segregation of one component to the surface of a blend.^[6] This in turn led to experiments on capillary wave broadening of interfaces, using neutron reflectivity.^[6] His experiments on the thickness-dependence of Glass transitions^[12] in thin films has stimulated a new research field.^[6][13] He has extended his studies to the denaturation of proteins at interfaces, demonstrating how the surface hydrophilicity has a strong effect, with implications for problems ranging from fouling to disease.^[6][14]

In 2018 he co-authored The Biomedical Bubble^[5] with James Wilsdon [Wikidata], which argued that United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) needs a greater diversity of priorities, politics, places and people.^{[15][16][17][18][19]}

In 2020, Jones moved to Manchester.^[20]

Jones was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2006 for "substantial contributions to the improvement of natural knowledge".^[6]

In 2008 he won the Institute of Physics David Tabor Medal and Prize.^[21]

In 2021, Jones was elected a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.^[22]

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