X-ray Science Symposium Celebrating Prof. Andrew J Dent
We would like to invite you to attend a science workshop to celebrate the retirement of Prof. Andrew J Dent.
After spending more than 35 years in the application and development of X-ray absorption spectroscopy techniques Professor Dent has decided to claim his well-deserved retirement. To mark this event and celebrate his successful career, Diamond Light Source is organising a symposium and invites anyone interested to attend.
Andy Dent studied Chemical Physics in the University of Bristol and obtained his PhD from the same university in 1988, which involved collecting diffraction data from the then new Synchrotron Radiation Source, SRS, at Daresbury. He then completed a postdoc at the University of Manchester, in which he ran the “EXAFS Service” at Daresbury, before joining the SRS in 1989, running and developing spectroscopy beamlines. He ended up holding the position of Group Leader for X-Ray Spectroscopy. He was among the first employees who joined the Diamond project in 2002 and shortly after that in 2004 he was awarded a visiting Professorship from the University of Southampton. Andy has been leading and managing the Diamond facility for 23 years, he designed the Phase I Microfocus Spectroscopy beamline (I18), and later designed, built, commissioned and operated the general purpose Core XAS beamline (B18). In 2005 he took the position of Physical Sciences Coordinator which involved oversight of Phase II, and since 2018 has held the position of Deputy-Director of the Physical Sciences division.
Andy has been a role model and a constant source of inspiration and motivation at Diamond. This symposium will comprise talks from senior academics and esteemed friends of Andy. Reflecting the breadth of his activities, it will cover a broad range of X-ray science applied to themes including catalysis, renewable energy and chemical dynamics.
| Friday 26th September 2025 | |
| 13:30 - 14:00 | Arrival and Registration |
| 14:00 - 14:10 | Welcome |
| Professor Adrian Mancuso, Diamond Light Source | |
| Scientific Presentations - Session 1 | |
| Chair: Gerhard Materlik | |
| 14:10 - 14:30 | Beset by change |
| Professor John Evans, University of Southampton | |
| 14:30 - 14:50 | The B18 Experience |
| Professor Silvia Ramos, University of Kent | |
| 14:50 - 15:10 | 92-93-B18: A Journey through 32 Years of Operando XAS |
| Professor Sven Schroeder, University of Leeds | |
| 15:10 - 15:30 | Recent progress in the real-time monitoring of catalytic processes using X-ray techniques |
| Professor Andrew Beale, University College London | |
| 15:30 - 15:50 | Coffee Break |
| Scientific Presentations - Session 2 | |
| Chair: Trevor Rayment | |
| 15:50 - 16:10 | 35 years of Combined X-ray Diffraction and Absorption |
| Professor Gopinathan Sankar, University College London | |
| 16:10 - 16:30 | Professor Andy Dent - An Engineering Ally |
| Sarah Macdonell, Diamond Light Source | |
| 16:30 - 16:50 | Andy Dent: The Daresbury Years |
| Nick Terrill, Diamond Light Source | |
| 16:50 - 17:05 | Final Remarks |
| Professor Adrian Mancuso, Diamond Light Source | |
| 17:05 - 17:35 | Drinks Reception |
If you have any questions, please contact events@diamond.ac.uk
Diamond Light Source is the UK's national synchrotron science facility, located at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.
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