Hutton ClaysAndMinerals.com is directed by Prof. Stephen Hillier but involves several other key members of staff engaged primarily in the three principal techniques at the core of our business, X-ray Powder Diffraction, Electron Microscopy and Infra-red Spectroscopy. All staff work closely together which is key to our ability to offer added value through insight and integrated interpretations rather than simply providing raw data in isolation.
There are now seven members of staff involved mainly with XRPD – Prof. Steve Hillier (section lead), Miss Helen Pendlowski (XRD lab manager), Dr Nia Gray-Wannell, Dr Stuart Turner, Dr Urmi Gosh, Mr Kyle Adams and Mrs Carolyn Hillier.
The team have considerable experience in the application of XRPD to a wide variety of materials and are always willing to chat about the capabilities of XRPD. Steve Hillier and team won the Reynolds Cup (a biennial event) in 2008, 2018 and 2022, came second in the 2006, 2012, and 2014, and came third in 2002, 2004 and 2016. In the years following the wins the team organised the next event and are the only lab to come in the top three ranked positions since the competitions inception thus attesting to the quality of the work performed in the XRPD lab at The James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen.
The James Hutton Institute has a long history of research on minerals, particularly clay minerals, and the Institute's XRPD laboratory, first established in the 1940’s, is a key part of this. XRPD is used extensively in the Institutes' research programmes on soils and sediments.
Electron microscopy is led by Mrs Laura-Jane Strachan, who has significant industrial and research experience in the microscopy area. The infra-red section is run by Mrs Angela Main and Dr Ernest Afriyie, again both of whom bring significant knowledge and expertise to the team.
In addition, we work alongside and have access to many specialist staff within the James Hutton Institute.
