Member

BSc (Hons): Physics; University of Manchester, UK; 1970
PhD; Physics; University of Manchester, UK; 1975
MInstP 1986; CPhys 1986; MBCS 2004

Research Fellow, Department of Physics, University of Liverpool (1987 to date)
Governor / Honorary Governor, Manchester College, Oxford (1993 to date)

Previous appointments: Project Leader, ICI Mond Division, 1976-77, MD, NVA Ltd, 1977-81, Lecturer in Physics, etc, and other positions up to HoD, De La Salle College and Pendleton, College, Manchester, 1981-99

Research:

• Fundamental symmetries foundational to physics, in particular a group structure relating the fundamental parameters space, time, mass and charge.
• A universal rewrite system derived from the concept zero, in collaboration with computer scientist Bernard Diaz.
• A nilpotent version of relativistic quantum mechanics, with significant applications in particle physics and cosmology.
• Fundamental mathematical structures relating to physics and biology, in collaboration with biologist Vanessa Hill (Royal Holloway College, University of London).
• Application of rewrite concept to analysis of large-scale systems in physics, biology, theoretical computing, etc., in collaboration with Peter Marcer.
• Also work on history of science, including books and articles on Newton, Oliver Lodge, Fr?hlich, Rotblat, etc., and work on the epistemology of science (Why does physics work?).

Awards:

• Best paper for Symposium on The Fundamental Semantic Foundations of the Sciences: Computational Rewrite Systems at VII CASYS Conference, Li?ge, 2005.
• Best paper for Symposium on Rewrite Science ? the Universal Semantic Calclulus and Grammatical Cosmos at VIII CASYS Conference, Li?ge, 2007, with Vanessa Hill.

Books:

• Oliver Lodge and the Liverpool Physical Society, Liverpool University Press, 1990.
• Newton and the Concept of Mass-Energy, Liverpool University Press, 1990.
• The Fundamental Parameters of Physics: An Approach towards a Unified Theory, PD Publications, Liverpool , 1991.
• Waves Versus Corpuscles: The Revolution That Never Was, PD Publications, Liverpool, 1992.
• A Revolution Too Far: The Establishment of General Relativity, PD Publications, Liverpool, 1994.
• Oliver Lodge and the Invention of Radio, PD Publications, Liverpool, 1994, editor with J. Patrick Wilson, and author of: ?Preface' (with JPW), ?Radiowaves', 39-66, ?Radio begins in 1894', 75-114, ?Waves from the Sun', 125-136, ?The Significance of the aether', 137-144.
• 120 Years of Excellence, The Physics Department at The University of Liverpool 1881-2001, U-P L Communications, Liverpool, 2001.
• Herbert Fr?hlich: A Physicist Ahead of His Time, editor, with G. J. Hyland, University of Liverpool, 2006.
• War and Peace: The Life and Work of Sir Joseph Rotblat, editor, with T. V. Attwood, and author of ?Introduction', pp 5-20 (with TVA), and ?Sir Joseph Rotblat as Teacher and Research Director', pp 75-86, University of Liverpool, 2006.
• 125 Years of Excellence, The Physics Department at The University of Liverpool 1881-2006, PD Publications, Liverpool, 2006.
• Zero to Infinity, World Scientific, Singapore, Hackensack, NJ, and London, October, 2007.

Papers (Selected):

• The Dirac algebra and its physical interpretation (with J. P Cullerne)
• Applications of the nilpotent Dirac state vector (with J. P. Cullerne)
• QED using the nilpotent formalism (with J. P. Cullerne)
• The Dirac algebra and grand unification (with J. P. Cullerne)
• A foundational approach to physics
• The Factor 2 in Fundamental Physics