Our people
Associate Professor Ben Ruck
Principal Investigator
- Phone:
- +64 4 463 5089
Address:
School of Chemical and Physical Sciences
Victoria University of Wellington
PO Box 600
Wellington 6140
Biography
Ben completed a PhD at Victoria University of Wellington before undertaking postdoctoral work at in the Molecular Beam Epitaxy Laboratory of Professor Tom Tiedje at the University of British Columbia. He returned to New Zealand on a FRST Postdoctoral Fellowship working with Professor Joe Trodahl before taking a position on the academic staff at Victoria University in 2003.
Research interests
Ben's area of research interest is experimental condensed matter physics, with a particular focus on growing thin films of novel materials and determining their atomic structure and electronic properties.
This work involves collaboration with numerous students, postdocs, and academics at VUW and the MacDiarmid Institute, and at other institutions in New Zealand and around the world.
Current research projects include investigating the electronic and magnetic properties of rare-earth nitrides, including their potential use in spintronics, and investigating the electronic structure of transition metal nitrides.
Because of our patents we have international companies wanting to work with us.
Associate Professor Ben Ruck
In the news
Annual Report
Patent applications - Annual Report 2022
April 20, 2023
One of the early considerations on the path to market for materials science is what should be patented and why.
Annual Report
Funding successes - Annual Report 2020
March 24, 2021
Funding successes for our investigators and their research programmes during 2020. This funding enables our researchers and collaborators to continue their breakthrough research in advanced materials and nanotechnology.
Annual Report
Patents and Spinouts 2019 - Annual Report 2019
May 27, 2020
This article from our 2019 Annual Report provides information about the MacDiarmid Institute's latest inventions, patents and spinouts.
Read more about Patents and Spinouts 2019 - Annual Report 2019
Annual Report
Funding successes - Annual Report 2019
May 26, 2020
Funding successes for our investigators and their research programmes during 2019. This funding enables our researchers and collaborators to continue their breakthrough research in advanced materials and nanotechnology.
Annual Report
2018 funding successes - Annual Report 2018
April 8, 2019
Funding successes for our investigators and their research programmes during 2018. This funding enables our researchers and collaborators to continue their breakthrough research in advanced materials and nanotechnology.
Annual Report
Industry pathways for science graduates - Annual Report 2018
April 8, 2019
How do you go from a physics lab to Rocket Lab? Or from a chemistry lab to a new start-up company?
Read more about Industry pathways for science graduates - Annual Report 2018
News Article
MacDiarmid researchers successful in latest MBIE round
September 14, 2018
The MacDiarmid Institute is pleased to share the following successes from MacDiarmid researchers in this year’s MBIE Endeavour fund round.
Read more about MacDiarmid researchers successful in latest MBIE round
In The Media
How to cool down your data
July 19, 2018
Whether you’re mining bitcoin or Googling yourself, you’re creating a lot of heat somewhere.
Annual Report
3 Into the Communtiy - Annual Report 2017
July 2, 2018
The MacDiarmid Institute has a long history of supporting sustained community engagement activities by our investigators, from the DiscoveryCamp programme for Māori and Pacific Island high school students that has been running since the Institute was founded, to the physics teachers’ workshops developed by Professor Michele Governale and Associate Professor Ben Ruck over the last three years.
Alumni
Dr Harry Warring
July 12, 2017
When Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket made it to space on 25 May 20017 it also made it into headlines all around the world as it was the first orbital-class rocket launched from a private launch site in the world.
Interface Magazine
Harry Warring: Meet 2015’s MESA Chair
July 10, 2015
Harry Warring, the new Chair of the MacDiarmid Emerging Research Association (MESA) likes spin - spintronics to be precise – the use of an electron’s spin as well as its charge for the development of new materials. Materials used in electronics rely on the charge of electrons within the material, but the emerging field of spintronics also uses the magnetic properties of a material, associated with the spin of its electrons, to create new advanced materials.
Podcasts
Element of the Week - Iridium (Ir)
June 24, 2019
Associate Professor Ben Ruck introduces the element Iridium on RNZ Nights' Element of the Week.
Videos
2018 Lecture Series: MacDiarmid - to Industry and Beyond!
February 16, 2019
Associate Professor Ben Ruck (Victoria University of Wellington) and Dr Harry Warring (Rocket Lab) talk about their lives and work.
Read more about 2018 Lecture Series: MacDiarmid - to Industry and Beyond!
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