Sir Robin Grimes FREng FRS

As a material scientist at Imperial College, Robin Grimes has used computer modelling to predict the structural and dynamic behaviour of ceramics, metals and semiconductors for energy applications. This has allowed him to identify ways in which atomic scale defects modify materials properties. He has investigated a wide range of properties, including thermal conductivity and how materials deform but also how atoms are transported through solids. While best known for modelling nuclear materials, he has worked as much on electrochemical systems, optical and electronic materials.

Robin Grimes has also established Science Diplomacy within the Foreign & Commonwealth Office working as Chief Scientific Adviser. He has mainstreamed science as a tool in the UKs diplomatic tool box, using science evidence and science networks to place science collaboration as the heart of key international relationships. He maintains a leading role in the nuclear energy academic community and is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Professional position

  • Steele Professor of Energy Materials, Department of Materials, Imperial College London