Citation | Distinguished for his seminal work on modelling the structure and properties of interfaces. He developed the structural unit model into the most powerful technique available for predicting the sequence of the structural units present at tilt and twist grain boundaries, a technique that is now widely used in the interpretation of the experimental data on grain boundary structure in metals, ceramics and semiconducting materials. He has carried out penetrating analyses of the geometrical, structural and thermodynamic factors controlling the free energy of interfaces. His modelling of tilt boundaries in semiconductors using the tight binding approximation exposed their intrinsic electronic structures. His simulations of the formation and fracture of metallic nano?contacts first revealed the strong interaction between their mechanical and electrical properties. Together with Robert Balluffi he has written the definitive monograph on interfaces in crystalline materials. |