Michael Coey was an experimental physicist in the field of magnetism and spintronics, seen as a world leader by the magnetism community. His work had important applications in areas such as increasing the efficiency of storing, processing and transferring information in computers.
Spintronics involves using the inherent spin magnetism of electrons to give them an increased ability to store binary data. These electronic magnets can either point up or down. An entrepreneur as well as physicist, Michael co-founded TEL Magnetic Solutions to create new magnetic processing tools for spin-based electronics. In addition, the Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin was his brainchild.
Michael was described as a visionary with a unique gift for defining and conceptualising the key issues in magnetism, allowing him to discover new magnetic materials and make significant contributions to the future of magnetic technology. He published over 700 papers and was a fellow at numerous institutions worldwide, including the Royal Society, the US National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society.
Professor Michael Coey FRS died on 6 October 2025
Subject groups
-
Astronomy and Physics
Magnetism
-
Engineering and Materials Science
Materials science (incl materials engineering)
