The centre for doctoral training on the theory and simulation of materials was delighted to play host to Jerry D. Tersoff.

With over 23,000 citations and an h-index of 72 he is a giant in the field of materials research and currently works for IBM.

Tersoff gave a series of masterclasses using the examples of semiconductor heteroexpitaxy and nanowire growth to demonstrate the power of simple models to describe complex behaviour. He also meet with staff and students to discuss their research and in many cases has directly influenced their research.