Scholia has a profile for Lesley Cohen (Q48699870).

Lesley Francis Cohen FInstP is a Professor of solid-state physics at Imperial College London. ^{[1] [2]} She works in magnetic materials for solid-state magnetic refrigeration and spintronic applications. Cohen has served as the editor-in-chief of Applied Physics Letters since 2019. ^[3]

Education

Cohen completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Physics at Bedford College, London in 1983. ^[3] She moved to the University of Cambridge to where she was awarded a PhD in 1988 for microwave investigations into superconductivity. ^{[4] [5]}

Research and career

After her PhD, she joined Polytechnic University of New York as a postdoctoral research fellow in 1988 and was appointed Assistant Professor in 1989. ^[5] Cohen first joined Imperial College London in 1993 funded by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. ^[6] She became a Reader in Solid State in 2003 and a Professor in 2006. ^[5] Between 2008 - 2013, she was Head of Solid State Physics, one of the largest research groups at Imperial. ^[7] Cohen is interested in alternatives to standard models of refrigeration, using magnetic materials. ^[8] Magnetic refrigeration could provide a "green" alternative to traditional fridges, using 20 - 30% less energy. ^[9] In 2009 her group uncovered the mechanism behind cooling crystals, known as the magnetocaloric effect. ^{[10] [11] [12]}

She is co-investigator the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Research Programme on Nanoplasmonics Reactive Plasmonics. ^[13]

In 2014 Cohen arranged a Royal Society two-day residential conference on Emergence of new exotic states at interfaces with superconductors. ^[14] In 2016 she took part in another two-day discussion at the Royal Society, Taking the temperature of phase transitions in cool materials. ^{[15] [16]} She is consul for the faculty of Natural Sciences. ^[17]

Her recent^{[ when?]} work focuses on exotic properties that occur at interfaces between thin films, at crystallographic boundaries and at vertices in honeycomb structures, working closely with Will R. Branford. ^{[18] [19]}

Support for women in science

As well as being a prominent voice for early career researchers and postgraduates, Cohen is a passionate campaigner for women in physics. ^[20] In 1996 Cohen created a booklet, Voices from Women in Science, which led to a number of opportunities promoting diversity at Imperial College London. ^[21] She sits on the Department of Physics Juno committee, which writes the Athena SWAN and Juno applications. ^[6] Under her leadership, the department was awarded Juno Champion status and Athena SWAN Silver Awards. ^[6] She is Imperial College's Academic Ambassador for Women and chair of the Committee for Academic Women. ^[22] In 2013 she was the inaugural winner of Imperial College London Julia Higgins medal. ^[23]

References