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Professor of Nanoscience Oleg Kolosov has been awarded the 2025 Institute of Physics David Tabor Medal and Prize that marks distinguished contributions to surface or nanoscale physics.

Professor Kolosov received his award for important innovations in the field of scanning probe microscopy that have helped to elucidate the physical properties of nanostructures.

To coincide with this announcement, he has also been elected as a Fellow of the Institute in recognition of his personal contribution to the advancement of physics as a discipline and a profession.

He currently holds 30 patents, and the applications of his research range from revealing fundamental properties in semiconductor, functional ceramics and 2D nanostructures, to novel energy conversion phenomena in thermoelectrics, the functioning of rechargeable batteries and the dynamics of amyloid fibres involved in Alzheimer’s.

Professor Kolosov said: "I am absolutely delighted and honoured to receive this award recognising my work in advancing scanning probe microscopy (SPM). SPM is unique among other microscopies in that it not only provides a view of the nano-world with the spatial resolution down to individual atoms and chemical bonds but also allows direct mapping of diverse nanoscale physical and chemical properties of materials, the area which I have contributed to working in exciting research environments in Lancaster and beyond. Amazingly, while presenting - decades ago - the novel ultrasonic SPM for atomic scale tribology studies at Cambridge Physics colloquium, I had a chance to discuss my work with David Tabor himself, the pioneer of modern tribology, making this award even more precious for me.”

The Institute of Physics (IOP) is the professional body and learned society for physics, and the leading body for practising physicists, in the UK and Ireland.

Congratulating this year’s Award winners, Institute of Physics President Professor Michele Dougherty CBE FRS FInstP FRAS FRSSAf said: “On behalf of the Institute of Physics, I want to congratulate all of this year’s award winners on the significant and positive impact they have made in their profession, and I hope they are incredibly proud of their achievements.”

Throughout his career, Professor Kolosov has pioneered advanced SPM techniques to map the mechanical, electromechanical, thermal and thermoelectric properties of materials on the nanometre length and nanosecond time scale. His developments include the invention of Ultrasonic Force and Heterodyne Force Microscopies (UFM and HFM), Optical Heterodyne Force Microscopy (HFM), Immersion Scanning Thermal Microscopy (iSThM), Scanning Thermal Gate Microscopy (STGM), cross-sectional Scanning Thermal Microscopy (xSThM), 3D Nano rheology Microscopy (3D-NRM), and the effect of vanishing friction - “ultrasound induced lubricity” in SPM.

His development of Scanning Thermal Gate Microscopy (STGM) allowed the direct mapping of nanoscale thermoelectric properties, leading to the discovery of the Geometric Thermoelectricity (GTE) phenomenon where nanoscale thermoelectric properties of 2D materials, like graphene, can now be modified solely through nanoscale patterning. GTE abolishes the traditional notion of the junction of dissimilar materials, to convert electrical and thermal energy and was recently used by IBM to make a single material thermocouple.

Professor Dougherty said: ““It is becoming more obvious that the opportunities generated by a career in physics are many and varied - and the potential our science has to transform our society and economy in the modern world is huge.

“I hope our winners appreciate they are playing an important role in this community and know how proud we are to celebrate their successes - I hope their stories will help to inspire current and future generations of scientists.”