Andre Geim

Andre Geim
Bengt Oberger · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	Andre Geim
Caption	Geim in 2011
Birth date	21 October 1958
Birth place	Sochi, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Nationality	Dutch and British
Fields	Condensed matter physics
Workplaces	University of Manchester, Radboud University Nijmegen, University of Nottingham
Alma mater	Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
Doctoral advisor	Viktor Petrashov
Known for	Graphene, Gecko tape, Magnetic levitation
Awards	Nobel Prize in Physics (2010), Knight Bachelor (2012), Copley Medal (2013), Kavli Prize (2014)

Andre Geim is a physicist renowned for his groundbreaking experimental work in condensed matter physics. He is best known for isolating the two-dimensional material graphene at the University of Manchester, a feat for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 alongside his colleague Konstantin Novoselov. His career is characterized by a playful yet profound approach to science, leading to diverse discoveries ranging from magnetic levitation to biomimetic adhesives. Geim holds both Dutch and British citizenship and is a professor at the University of Manchester.

Early life and education

Andre Geim was born in 1958 in Sochi, then part of the Soviet Union. His parents were engineers of German descent, and the family faced significant challenges due to their ethnicity under the Soviet regime. He demonstrated an early aptitude for science and mathematics, which led him to enroll at the prestigious Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Geim graduated with a Master of Science in 1982 and subsequently earned a Candidate of Sciences degree, equivalent to a PhD, from the Institute of Solid State Physics in Chernogolovka in 1987, under the supervision of Viktor Petrashov.

Career and research

After his PhD, Geim held postdoctoral research positions at institutions including the University of Nottingham and the University of Bath in the United Kingdom. He later became a research fellow at the University of Copenhagen before accepting a position as an associate professor at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. In 2001, he moved to the University of Manchester as a professor of physics, where much of his most famous work was conducted. His research philosophy often involves exploring simple, curiosity-driven experiments that challenge conventional wisdom in materials science and low-temperature physics.

Discovery of graphene

The isolation of graphene in 2004 is considered a landmark achievement in modern physics. Geim and Konstantin Novoselov successfully extracted single-atom-thick layers from bulk graphite using a remarkably simple technique involving adhesive tape. This produced the first stable two-dimensional crystal, a material with extraordinary properties including exceptional electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and mechanical strength. The discovery, published in the journal *Science*, opened a vast new field of research and earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences highlighted its fundamental importance and potential for revolutionary applications in electronics.

Other scientific contributions

Beyond graphene, Geim has a history of highly creative scientific contributions. In 1997, he famously demonstrated the magnetic levitation of a living frog using strong superconducting magnets, a work for which he received an Ig Nobel Prize. He also pioneered the development of biomimetic Gecko tape, a dry adhesive inspired by the gecko's foot. His group has made significant advances in studying mesoscopic physics and has explored the properties of other two-dimensional materials like boron nitride, contributing broadly to the field of van der Waals heterostructures.

Awards and honors

Geim's work has been recognized with numerous prestigious international awards. His most notable honor is the Nobel Prize in Physics shared with Konstantin Novoselov in 2010. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to science. He is also a recipient of the Copley Medal from the Royal Society, the Kavli Prize in Nanotechnology, and the Europhysics Prize. Geim is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States.

Personal life

Andre Geim is married to Irina Grigorieva, a fellow physicist and research colleague at the University of Manchester. He is known for his informal and humorous approach to science and life, famously citing "curiosity" as his primary motivation. Geim became a naturalized citizen of the Netherlands during his tenure at Radboud University Nijmegen and later also obtained British citizenship. In his rare leisure time, he is reported to enjoy hiking and has expressed a fondness for the Lake District in England.

Category:British physicists Category:Dutch physicists Category:Nobel Prize laureates in Physics Category:University of Manchester faculty