Professor Jonathan Coleman stands as a preeminent figure in nanomaterials research at Trinity College Dublin where he currently holds the prestigious Erasmus Smith's Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy position, a role he assumed in 2022 after serving as Professor of Chemical Physics since 2012. Born in 1973, he completed both his undergraduate studies with First Class Honors and Gold Medal in Physics and his PhD at Trinity College Dublin under Werner Blau's supervision in experimental nanoscience. After a HEA-funded postdoctoral fellowship, he joined the faculty as a lecturer in 2001, rapidly establishing himself as a leading researcher in nanomaterials science. His career trajectory reflects exceptional scholarly achievement, marked by his election to the Royal Irish Academy in 2015 and his recognition as Science Foundation Ireland researcher of the year in 2011.
Coleman is internationally celebrated for pioneering liquid phase exfoliation, a transformative technique developed by his research group in 2008 that enables the separation of atomically thin layers of two-dimensional materials in solution. This groundbreaking methodology has become the dominant production approach for graphene worldwide, currently accounting for over 60% of global graphene manufacturing. His work has enabled critical applications across diverse fields including electronics, catalysis, thin films, coatings, and composites, fundamentally reshaping industrial approaches to nanomaterials production. As one of the most cited material scientists globally and the most cited physicist in Ireland, his research has generated extraordinary impact through both academic influence and practical implementation across multiple industries.
Beyond his technical contributions, Coleman serves as a Principal Investigator at the CRANN and AMBER research centers, where he continues to advance the solution processing of nano-materials for applications in electro-mechanical sensors, printed electronics, and energy storage systems. His collaborative research extends to industry partnerships with major technology companies including Hewlett-Packard, Intel, SAB Miller, and Nokia-Bell Labs, demonstrating the practical relevance of his scientific innovations. Recognized with the Royal Irish Academy Gold Medal in 2023 and the Tabor Medal from the Institute of Physics in 2022, his leadership in the field continues to expand. Professor Coleman remains actively engaged in developing novel applications for nanomaterials, particularly in lithium-ion battery technology, where his work on electrode materials and architectures promises to significantly enhance energy storage capabilities for next-generation devices.
