Leading scientist, Dr Adrian Mancuso joins Diamond as its new Physical Science Director

Dr. Adrian Mancuso, a well-known figure and leading scientist in the light sources' community has been appointed as the new Physical Science Director for the UK's national synchrotron, Diamond Light Source.

Adrian joined Diamond on 1 November from the European XFEL facility, the world's largest X-ray laser located in the Hamburg metropolitan area, where he has held the position of Group Leader and Leading Scientist for the Single Particles, Clusters, and Biomolecules & Serial Femtosecond Crystallography (SPB/SFX) instrument Group since 2010. As Physical Science Director, Adrian will be responsible for overall strategic leadership, direction and management of Diamond's Physical Science Division.

Professor Sir Adrian Smith, Chairman of the Board of Directors says; "We are delighted to have Adrian join our team with the wealth of experience he brings to the organisation. He not only has extensive scientific leadership, but also hands-on knowledge of the pressure to deliver complex experiments for users. As a physicist, his input into the Diamond Executive will be key and his strong interest in technology development and science strategy will be invaluable moving into the detailed planning for Diamond-II."

Adrian already has a strong connection with Diamond, having served as a member of its Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) for over three years, contributing along with other members of science facilities worldwide to inform on the technical and scientific questions impacting the specification, design, commissioning and operation of Diamond. He also holds an adjunct Professorship in the Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at La Trobe University, Australia.

Commenting on his new role; Dr. Adrian Mancuso states "I'm really looking forward to being at the helm of physical sciences and contributing to the fantastic work that Diamond, and the outstanding people at Diamond, deliver. This is an exciting and opportune time to join–especially with Diamond-II just around the corner. The brighter light of Diamond-II will offer the scientific community in academia and industry a plethora of new opportunities to perform science that informs our society. In physical sciences, that means new avenues of research into the structure of everything from batteries to energy technologies, to new materials."

Prior to joining EuXFEL, Adrian undertook post-doctoral positions at the University of California (Department of Physics and Astronomy) and the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, having achieved his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Melbourne in Australia. His areas of expertise include imaging using spatially coherent X-rays as well as the simulation and modelling of experiments using appropriately detailed physical models.

For further information: please contact Diamond Communications: Lorna Campbell +44 7836 625999 or Isabelle Boscaro-Clarke +44 1235 778130 Diamond Light Source: www.diamond.ac.uk Twitter: @DiamondLightSou

Diamond Light Source: works like a giant microscope, harnessing the power of electrons to produce bright light that scientists can use to study anything from fossils to jet engines to viruses and vaccines. The machine accelerates electrons to near light speeds so that they give off light 10 billion times brighter than the sun. These bright beams are then directed off into laboratories known as 'beamlines'. Here, scientists use the light to study a vast range of subject matter, from new medicines and treatments for disease to innovative engineering and cutting-edge technology. Whether it's fragments of ancient paintings or unknown virus structures, at the synchrotron, scientists can study their samples using a machine that is 10,000 times more powerful than a traditional microscope.

More information on Diamond-II : https://www.diamond.ac.uk/Diamond-II.html

A new generation of lightsources: The proposed Diamond-II new machine lattice will be based on Double Triple Bend Achromats (DTBAs). This means an increased brightness and coherence of a factor of up to 70 and provides mid-section straights to retain and enhance all beamlines on bending magnets while offering additional sources for 5 new beamlines. This design increases the electron beam energy from 3.0 to 3.5 GeV providing greatly increased photon flux at higher energies.

To match the extraordinary gains offered by the Diamond-II machine there will be a major renewal and upgrade of existing beamline technologies to meet the new scientific demands. Diamond-II will see enhancements in beam quality and beam stability through new X-ray optics and instrumentation, state-of-the-art sample delivery, and manipulation through the development of optimised sample environments and scientific software solutions that meet the beamline demands for the acquisition, visualization and analysis of data.

Provided by Diamond Light Source