NAME: Matthew Rowles
CURRENT TITLE: X-Ray Diffraction and Scattering Facility Leader / Research Fellow
ORGANISATION: John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University
AREA OF EXPERTISE: In situ X-ray diffraction and materials science.
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: ~11 years post PhD
EDUCATION: I graduated with an BSc(Hons) in physics/materials science from Curtin University in 2000. My PhD, in which I studied the structural properties of aluminosilicate inorganic polymers, was conferred in 2005.
WEBSITE/TWITTER:
Curtin Profile
Google Scholar
CURRENT TITLE: X-Ray Diffraction and Scattering Facility Leader / Research Fellow
ORGANISATION: John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University
AREA OF EXPERTISE: In situ X-ray diffraction and materials science.
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: ~11 years post PhD
EDUCATION: I graduated with an BSc(Hons) in physics/materials science from Curtin University in 2000. My PhD, in which I studied the structural properties of aluminosilicate inorganic polymers, was conferred in 2005.
WEBSITE/TWITTER:
Curtin Profile
Google Scholar
What does your job involve?
I’m responsible for the smooth running of the X-ray diffraction and scattering instrumentation in the John de Laeter Centre, which current consists of two “standard” diffractometers, a high-intensity small-angle scattering instrument, and a dedicated in situ diffractometer. I, along with a part-time technician, look after user induction and training, specimen preparation and data collection, and some data analysis. I also supervise some undergraduate and postgraduate students, and am always looking for more.
With the recent acquisition of the in situ XRD, a lot of time has been spent on developing capabilities and building the necessary equipment to enable it to be used to it best extent. There is always paperwork about radiation and safe work procedures, giving and developing training courses, and convincing researchers that they should do more diffraction and scattering in their projects. I’m on the programme advisory committee for the small-angle scattering beamline at the Australian Synchrotron, and on the synchrotron advisory panel at Curtin University.
I’m responsible for the smooth running of the X-ray diffraction and scattering instrumentation in the John de Laeter Centre, which current consists of two “standard” diffractometers, a high-intensity small-angle scattering instrument, and a dedicated in situ diffractometer. I, along with a part-time technician, look after user induction and training, specimen preparation and data collection, and some data analysis. I also supervise some undergraduate and postgraduate students, and am always looking for more.
With the recent acquisition of the in situ XRD, a lot of time has been spent on developing capabilities and building the necessary equipment to enable it to be used to it best extent. There is always paperwork about radiation and safe work procedures, giving and developing training courses, and convincing researchers that they should do more diffraction and scattering in their projects. I’m on the programme advisory committee for the small-angle scattering beamline at the Australian Synchrotron, and on the synchrotron advisory panel at Curtin University.
What’s a typical day like?
Varied. At the moment, I’m spending a lot of time with my in situ instrument, putting together pieces of equipment to enable other researchers to carry out the measurements they want to do. I’m also in the middle of getting more users for our SAXS instrument, which is now up and running, after a bit of down time. Writing presentations and grant applications, carrying out exploratory data analysis, thinking about projects I’d like to do, looking at budgets, updating safe work procedures… |
What’s challenging?
Finding balance. I very much like getting stuck into the meat of some data collection and analysis, but other things always seem to pull me away. There is often a long lead time between having research ideas and then being able to actually implement in the lab with a researcher or student, assuming that the idea gets approved along its journey through the system. With all this, I often find that I have too many ideas to fit into a day’s work. |
What do you love about working with X-rays?
I just love doing diffraction. Wrestling with the data to extract the most information you (reasonably or not so) can. Conceiving and building in situ experiments. Making the analysis software bend to your will. I love teaching people about diffraction, and the great benefits it can offer their projects. I don’t care what I diffract off, as long as I’m doing diffraction.
It sometimes blows my mind that I’m doing an experiment with a couple of cubic millimetres of material that was taken out of a 3 g sample, taken from a 1 kg bag, taken from a 20 kg bucket, (somehow) taken from a mine face, and the analysis that I do on my couple of cubic millimetres informs how these hundreds of tonnes of ore are going to be processed.
I just love doing diffraction. Wrestling with the data to extract the most information you (reasonably or not so) can. Conceiving and building in situ experiments. Making the analysis software bend to your will. I love teaching people about diffraction, and the great benefits it can offer their projects. I don’t care what I diffract off, as long as I’m doing diffraction.
It sometimes blows my mind that I’m doing an experiment with a couple of cubic millimetres of material that was taken out of a 3 g sample, taken from a 1 kg bag, taken from a 20 kg bucket, (somehow) taken from a mine face, and the analysis that I do on my couple of cubic millimetres informs how these hundreds of tonnes of ore are going to be processed.
Any advice to people looking for a career in X-ray/neutron/electron analysis?
Become good at what you do, and try and find a niche that you enjoy. Learn about complementary experimental techniques that can be used to obtain information to help guide or interpret data collection and analysis. Learn how to ask questions of your users to find out what they actually want to know. Learn to program – data comes in many varied formats, and it’s always in the wrong one. There isn’t a set way to get into this type of career. I started out traditionally, with a research PhD and postdoctoral fellowships, and then moved into technical sales. I then fell into a part-time position as a technician looking after a diffractometer, followed by a research-focussed role at a university, followed by a sideways move into a facility leader position. |
Why is it good to be involved with AXAA?
The conference and workshops the AXAA organise are world-class. They provide a 5 day opportunity for researchers, industry, and students to meet and talk about their work in a very collegial manner. You can present your work and a problem, and you will get half a dozen suggestions on how you can go about fixing or bypassing it. The student seminar series is a good opportunity for local students to talk about their work and get feedback on how they can advance their science, with the added benefit of bursaries to attend the conference if it is running that year. |