Dr Matt Hodgson

Bio

I studied Theoretical Physics at the University of York, graduating in 2012 with first-class honours. I remained at York to complete my PhD under the supervision of Prof Rex Godby. For my thesis, Electrons in Model Nanostructures, I was awarded the K. M. Stott Prize for excellence in scientific research.

I subsequently held postdoctoral research positions at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics in Halle, Germany, with Prof Eberhard Gross, and Durham University with Dr Nikitas Gidopoulos. Our research advanced the fields of condensed matter physics and quantum chemistry.

I am currently a Lecturer at the University of York, where I teach theoretical and computational physics. I have several academic roles, including serving on the Standing Academic Misconduct Panel for the Faculty of Sciences. I am also an active member of the Institute of Physics, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Peer Review College, and the European Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility (ETSF).

Career

• University of York, School of Physics, Engineering and Technology, York, UK
• Lecturer (2024-present)
• Associate Lecturer (2021-2024)
• Durham University, Department of Physics, Durham, UK
• Postdoctoral Researcher (2019-2021)
• Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Theory Department, Halle, Germany
• Postdoctoral Researcher (2016-2019)

Academic Roles

• University of York
• Standing Academic Misconduct Panel for the Faculty of Sciences, Member (2023-present)
• Careers and Employability, Coordinator (2023-present)
• Virtual Learning Environment, Coordinator (2021-present)

Memberships

• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Peer Review College (2024-present)
• Royal Society of Chemistry (2020-2022)
• University College, Durham University (2019-present)
• European Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility (ETSF) (2012-present)
• Institute of Physics, Member (2016-present); Associate Member (2008-2016)

Education

• University of York
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (2024-present)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (2012-2016)
  • Master of Physics in Theoretical Physics with first-class honours (2008-2012)

Research

My research focus is many-body quantum mechanics, with a particular emphasis on modelling how electrons are excited in materials. I am a lead author of the iDEA code, a Python library for exploring and understanding many-body quantum systems. By using iDEA, I identify limitations in widely used models based on the most popular approaches to quantum mechanics, such as density functional theory and many-body perturbation theory, and propose strategies to improve their accuracy and predictive power.