Timothy Softley

Timothy Peter Softley is a British scientist who is Pro-vice-chancellor (PVC) for research and knowledge transfer at the University of Birmingham.^[6][7][8]

Timothy Softley FRS FRSC FInstP
Softley in 2018
Education	The Hewett School[1]
Alma mater	University of Oxford University of Southampton[2]
Awards	Corday Morgan Medal (1994)[3] Royal Society University Research Fellowship[when?] Harkness Fellowship[when?]
Scientific career
Fields	Chemical physics
Institutions	University of Birmingham University of Oxford Stanford University University of Cambridge
Thesis	Infrared predissociation spectroscopy of diatomic atoms (1984)
Doctoral advisor	Alan Carrington[3]
Doctoral students	Helen H. Fielding[4] Frédéric Merkt[5]
Website	research.birmingham.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/timothy-softley(67763980-12d3-457a-91af-252836d2661f).html

Education

Softley was educated at The Hewett School in Norwich and Wadham College, Oxford.^[1] He moved to the University of Southampton to complete a PhD supervised by Alan Carrington in 1984.^[3][2] From 1986 to 1987 Softley worked as a post doctoral researcher in the group of Richard Zare at the Stanford University.^[9]

Career and research

Softley is distinguished for his advances in two areas of Chemical Physics.^[3] First, the study of atoms and molecules in highly excited quantum states, known as Rydberg states.^[3] He has used his understanding of their properties, gained from laser spectroscopy and theory, to develop new applications including the study of model charge-transfer processes at solid-gas interfaces.^[3] Second, he has pioneered unique experiments utilising combinations of novel physical devices for making cold atoms, molecules and ions, for studying the kinetics and dynamics of chemical processes at ultralow temperatures – close to the absolute zero of temperature – where quantum effects determine the reactivity.^[3]

Much of his work was conducted in a twenty five-year period at Merton College, Oxford, where he served as head of the Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford from 2011 to 2015.^[3] His former doctoral students include Helen H. Fielding.^[4]

Awards and honours

Softley was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2018 for substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge.^[3] He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). He was also awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellow (URF) at the University of Cambridge,^[when?] held a Harkness Fellowship at Stanford University^[3][2] and was awarded the Corday Morgan Medal in 1994.^[3]