Ian Gilmore joined NPL in 1991 to develop the promising technique secondary ion mass spectrometry for the analysis of organic surfaces. Ian pioneered the underpinning metrology for this technique and innovated a powerful new method G-SIMS, which provided a step-change in the ability to identify complex molecules at surfaces (for which he was awarded the Institute of Physics Paterson medal 2004). New developments, G-SIMS-FMP and a novel molecular model method, help to elucidate the structure and orientation of complex molecules at surfaces.
Ian is widely recognised for his international leadership in surface and nanoanalysis. He is a regular presenter at international meetings and has authored and co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed papers in surface analysis covering SIMS, AES and XPS. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.
New directions include the development of analytical techniques to characterise surfaces in ambient conditions, which are of enormous importance for the analysis of skin, pharmaceuticals and the personal care industry.