Nano to Micro to Macro ft. Levi Tegg

Nano to Micro to Macro ft. Levi Tegg

In Other Words

His PhD on conductive perovskite-like metal oxides, including a neutron-powder-diffraction ‘cake baking’ experiment (samples dropped into a furnace in the neutron beam) that showed the synthesis completes in 15–20 seconds, not the ~8 hours the literature claimed.

Key Takeaways

• Research associate at the Australian Centre for Microscopy & Microanalysis (University of Sydney) using optical, electron and atom-probe microscopy on steels, nanoporous metals, ice and metal oxides.
• Atom probe on cryo-preserved biological samples could give 3D near-atomic maps with per-atom chemical identity of proteins and DNA.
• ‘Love at first image’ with the TEM during an undergrad summer internship set his career.
• Best non-research part: the collaborative, non-secretive nature of science, other labs often already hold the answer.
• Three wishes: more permanent (less casualised) positions in Australia, a more diverse funding landscape with faster small grants, and a dedicated barista for the microscopy facility.