Key details
Professor Peter C Griffiths
Pro Vice-Chancellor
Professor Peter Griffiths' interest in nanotechnology, traditionally known as colloid science, started with a final year undergraduate research project on ferrofluids. Thereafter followed a PhD (University of Bristol, 1991), focused on developing NMR and scattering methodology to quantify the dynamics of polymer-polymer and polymer-particle blends, that saw Professor Griffiths' interests broaden into concentrated particle dispersions, and then to polymer-surfactant and polymer-small molecule systems, with post-doctoral research periods at University of Bristol (1991-1993) and the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (1993-1995).
In 1995, Professor Griffiths was appointed to a lectureship at Cardiff University that further consolidated these research themes, and took his attention towards the drug delivery field, in particular polymer-drug and polymer-protein conjugates, small molecule gels and vesicle dispersions.
Professor Griffiths’ contribution to the research field and education in general was recognized with the award of a DSc (University of Bristol, 2005), a "docenture" (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, 2005) and conferment of Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, FRSC in 2002. He has also received distinguished service awards from both the SCI and the RSC.
Responsibilities within the university
As Pro-Vice Chancellor and an Executive Dean Professor Griffiths is responsible for the overall vision, direction and strategic leadership of the Faculty, and works closely with a Faculty Executive team to ensure that the Faculty delivers for its diverse stakeholder group, students and other partners.
Awards
Long service awards from RSC and SCI for extended work on technical interest and local member groups.
Research / Scholarly interests
Understanding, and ultimately controlling, the interactions of one group of molecules in a complex mixture is fundamental to many of the challenges we face over the next few decades, the associated need to be able to more efficiently assemble precisely controlled structures. Factors that determine these characteristic interactions are the subject of investigation in Griffiths' research, which utilizes, adapts and develops scattering and spectroscopic methodology to achieve its goals. To date, he has published just over 110 articles that have attracted over 2600 citations. His H-index is 31.
Professor Griffiths' current research activities are a healthy mix of "old and new"; the group continues to employ PGSE-NMR and SANS to examine polymer-polymer, polymer-surfactant and polymer-small molecule interactions.
More recently, Professor Griffiths has developed a significant interest in the design and preparation of multi-modal drug delivery systems, and as part of the Alexander FP7 consortium, the challenges associated with delivery of actives through mucosal layers.
A continuing interest is the elaboration of the fundamental structure-activity relationships of metallosurfactants, molecules that combine catalytic (chemical) activity with a physical (interfacial) activity. Newer projects are focusing on the role of polymers and particles in the stabilization of aqueous foams; paint dispersions containing mixtures of adsorbed and non-adsorbed polymers; sterically stabilised (formulated) systems challenged by competing surfaces or other surface active species, as well we the design and preparation of hierarchical structured particles. The research focuses on a mix of aqueous and non-aqueous systems.
As a consequence of this output, the experimental toolbox employed by Professor Griffiths has been expanded to include a range of various spin-resonance techniques (pulsed-gradient spin-echo, PGSE-NMR, electrophoretic NMR, eNMR and electron paramagnetic resonance, EPR, as well as neutron scattering in conjunction with other lab based methodologies, such as surface tension, fluorescence and rheology.