Following a PhD in low temperature physics, Rob Somekh began work in the department in 1972, joining the then Superconductivity Group as a post doc. under Jan Evetts. He played a vital role in the group’s development through the initiation of thin film fabrication techniques: designing and building novel equipment to produce the materials on which much of the science was performed. His was a major contribution to the evolution and broadening of the group into what is now Device Materials. And he was instrumental in bringing the department to the forefront of research in the applied science of thin film deposition, a subject which has featured in both research and teaching ever since. Rob contributed seminal work on magnetic and superconducting materials, functional oxides, nitrides and carbides, metallic glasses, composites, multilayers, superlattices, and complex heterostructures for device applications. Precision film deposition, in ultra-high vacuum systems, included working with most of the elements in the Periodic Table.

Whilst remaining a true and dedicated research scientist, Rob was always aware of the importance of putting science into applications, to advance technology but also to provide financial support for further research, and he was involved with many commercial ventures. In 1997 he moved from University research to Plasmon Plc: one of the Companies which had benefited greatly, as a start-up, from his input. He spent 11 very successful years working there, and the company benefited enormously from the breadth and depth of his scientific understanding.

Rob influenced many of us profoundly, demonstrating how to work hard, and with commitment, at scientific research; to work collaboratively; and to value the (different) input of many, in a successful research environment. As others have said, Rob was: “incredibly hard working, dedicated and enthusiastic, and absolutely brilliant at getting to the root of a problem with the back of an envelope calculation!”; and “a supportive and encouraging colleague from whom I, like many others, learned how to do science well.”

Professor Zoe Barber