Mark Rutland

An Australian working in Sweden. Received PhD 1992 from Australian National University, with a thesis on surface forces. Postdocs at Lehigh University and the Institute for Surface Chemistry established a penchant for combining needs- and interest -driven research. Lecturer, University of Sydney 1994-97 where interests encompassed the hydrophobic interaction, and nanotribology. Moved to KTH in 1998, Professor since 2005 where active in several disciplines: NanoTribology, Chemistry and Psychophysics. Research spans Tactile Perception and the novel field of Psychotribology where we focus on the contact between skin and materials, and how physical parameters contribute to our ability to “feel”. Surface Chemistry includes the interfacial behavior of lipids and structuring water interfaces where probes such as nonlinear spectroscopy and neutron reflectometry are used. In Nanotribology the AFM is the workhorse with Ionic liquids at electrified interfaces, combined with Neutron Reflectometry, superlubricity using repulsive Lifshitz forces, and the interactions of hair fibres comprising some of the foci.