Prof. Helen Gleeson

Prof. Helen F. Gleeson graduated with a 1st class Joint Honours degree in Maths and Physics from Manchester University in 1983. She received a PhD in 1986. She joined the academic staff in Physics at Manchester in 1989 as their first female lecturer and subsequently held several posts in the University, including Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences (2002-2007) and Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy (2008-2010). In 2015, She moved to Leeds as Cavendish Professor and the head of the Soft Matter Physics Group and was Head of School from 2016-2021. Her research has always involved liquid crystals and in addition to carrying out fundamental studies of the physics of these materials. She has invented several novel applications, most recently auxetic liquid crystal elastomers. She has been awarded the British Liquid Crystal Society Hilsum and GW Gray Medals (2006 & 2013), the 2012 Holweck Prize and Medal of the Institute of Physics and Société Française de Physique, and the Rank Prize Lecture recognizing her research. She was awarded an OBE for Services to Science in 2009. In 2018, She won the Times Higher Education award for 'Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year'.