Philip Moriarty is a professor of physics at the University of Nottingham. His research is what has occasionally been described as “extreme nanotech” in that he works alongside a talented bunch of nanoscientists to prod, poke, push, pick, and pull individual atoms and molecules in order to explore forces and interactions down to the single chemical bond limit.

Moriarty also has a keen and long-standing interest in science communication and public engagement. He is a member of the Sixty Symbols (www.youtube.com/sixtysymbols) team that was awarded the Institute of Physics Kelvin prize in 2016 for “innovative and effective promotion of the public understanding of physics”. While he doesn’t share his infamous namesake’s fascination with the binomial theorem, Moriarty enjoys exploring the maths-music-physics interface including, in particular, the deep and fundamental links that exist between quantum mechanics and heavy metal music (a theme discussed at length in his book, “When the Uncertainty Principle Goes to 11”). He blogs at muircheartblog.wordpress.com.