subject: Meri Gains 2 New Professors [print this page] Two members of the MERI team, Alexei Nabok and Jacques Penders were awarded professional titles at the meeting of the Professional Committee earlier in July this year.
Alexei Nabok, ACES Professor in Organic Films and Sensors
Alexei Nabok graduated from Kiev University, Ukraine, in 1968 with a BSc/MSc degree in Radiophysics and Electronics. After a period working in the microelectronic industry in Kiev he joined the Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Academy of Science of the Ukraine, as a research scientist. In 1984 he obtained a PhD in the Physics of Semiconductors and Dielectrics. In 1985 he joined the Academy's newly opened laboratory of molecular electronics and, in 1994, became a senior research scientist and Head of the laboratory. In 1995/1996 Alexei visited Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield; in 1997 he joined the research group at Sheffield Hallam University's School of Engineering. He is currently combining a senior lecturer position in the Department of Engineering and Mathematics with research work at the Materials and Engineering Research Institute (MERI).
His area of expertise is quite broad, stretching from solid state physics, semiconductors and microelectronics to thin organic films and nanostructures, analytical chemistry and bio sensing. In the last few years his research has been focused on the development of chemical and bio sensors. Alexei Nabok is the author of more than 130 publications including a solo publication "Organic and Inorganic Nanostructures" (Artech House, Boston, 2005).
Alexei's expertise and knowledge, recognised at national and international level, has helped him to establish leadership in research at Sheffield Hallam University. Alexei is regularly invited to speak at international conferences. He also regularly acts as a reviewer for a number of scientific journals and for EU and BBSRC research projects. Over the last decade Professor Nabok has built an extensive collaboration network which includes academic and industrial partners from the UK, Europe, America and Asia. He has participated in, and coordinated, several research projects in the UK and the EU and has accessed approximately 500k in research funding over the last 10 years. Alexei is a Fellow of the Institute of Nanotechnology UK, and editor of BioNanoScience (Springer). He is a member of the American Chemical Society; the Ukrainian Physics Society; KTN Sensors UK; and of the steering committee of European Conferences in Organised Films (ECOF). In 2011 he organised a very successful ECOF conference at Sheffield Hallam University.
Alexei has supervised 13 PhD students at SHU (seven as DoS), and two PhD students in the Ukraine. The completion rate was 100%. Alexei has implemented his multidisciplinary knowledge in the development of teaching and learning practice in electrical and electronic engineering. His particular contribution has helped to bridge the gap between teaching and research, giving students a substantial theoretical background and developing practical skills, showing the links from the basic knowledge to the cutting edge of science and technology, introducing the most capable UG students into research, and working closely with PG students on the front line of research.
Jacques Penders, ACES Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
Jacques Penders holds a PhD in Computer Science (University of Maastricht), MScs in Mathematics and Philosophy (both University of Amsterdam); he also graduated in Landscape Architecture. Jacques has worked in the laboratories of the Dutch Postal and later Telecommunication services before joining Sheffield Hallam in 2003.
Currently, Jacques Penders is the Head of the Centre for Automation and Robotics Research (CARR) at Sheffield Hallam University and Deputy Director of the Sheffield Centre for Robotics (SCentRo). ScentRo is a joint initiative of Shefield Halllam University and the University of Sheffield aiming to boost collaboration in robotics research across both universities and raise the national and international profile of Sheffield as a centre of excellence in robotics. Together with the President of BARA Jacques founded the (UK) Academic Forum for Robotics (AFR) which he currently chairs.
Jacques has been Lead PI in two National collaboration projects (NL and UK) and Coordinator (Lead PI) of four collaborative European projects, with the total of budgets close to 18 million.
Jacques' research interests are in Natural and Artificial Agents and Robotics, with the focus on developing Autonomous and Collective Robotics. He currently pursues two tracks:
(1) Building and modelling groups of natural and/or artificial agents; this track includes collective and swarm robotics
(2) Cognition and Action: modeling cognitive agents aiming at designing artificial agents, which are to interact with human beings; this track includes mixed human-robot teams navigating in adverse conditions.
