Projects per year
Personal profile
SUMMARY of research interests (100 words)
I am currently the Lancaster PI for SuperICQ, an EU Pathfinder Open funded project developing superconducting electronics using graphene Josephson junctions. I previously held a Royal Academy of Engineering Research fellowship (“Graphene transistors for cryogenic electronics“) and my current research interests are in developing electronics that operate at cryogenic temperatures using 2D materials. Cryogenic electronics already enable many cutting-edge technologies: from medical sensors and materials characterisation to deep space communications and dark matter searches. As an enabling technology, cryogenics electronics are also essential for building scalable quantum computers. I have also been involved with the “European Microkelvin Collaboration” (EMP) and the “Quantum Enhanced Superfluid Technologies for Dark Matter and Cosmology” (QUEST-DMC) project, which aims to utilise quantum technologies to enable dark matter searches and study early universe evolution.
In general, I am interested in the use of new or unconventional materials that can enable new technologies or improved performance of existing technologies. I began my research career developing optoelectronic devices; lasers, light emitting diodes and photodetectors using narrow bandgap semiconductors and nanowires. Subsequently, I moved into low temperature physics to study quantum transport in 2D materials, developing ultra-sensitive magnetometers using graphene Josephson junctions and creating a new cryogenic platform with industrial collaborator, Oxford Instruments (OI). I also collaborated with the National Graphene Institute and the EU’s Graphene Flagship (H2020).
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Scalable graphene-superconductor integrated quantum circuits (SuperICQ)
Pashkin, Y. (Co-Investigator), Thompson, M. (Principal Investigator) & Prance, J. (Co-Investigator)
1/03/26 → 28/02/30
Project: Research
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Josephson Parametric Amplifiers using CVD graphene junctions
Thompson, M. (Principal Investigator)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
1/01/24 → 31/12/25
Project: Research
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LANCQTFP: Quantum Enhanced Superfluid Technologies for Dark Matter and Cosmology
Haley, R. (Principal Investigator), Thompson, M. (Co-Investigator), Kafanov, S. (Co-Investigator), Prance, J. (Co-Investigator), Tsepelin, V. (Co-Investigator), Zmeev, D. (Co-Investigator) & Zmeev, D. (Co-Investigator)
1/12/20 → 31/03/25
Project: Research
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Graphene Transistors for Cryogenic Electronics
Thompson, M. (Principal Investigator)
1/10/19 → 30/09/24
Project: Research
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Characterisation of silicon photomultipliers in a dilution refrigerator down to 9.4 mK towards a cryogenic cosmic-ray muon veto system
The QUEST-DMC collaboration, 1/05/2026, In: Journal of Instrumentation. 21, 05Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Open AccessFile16 Downloads (Pure) -
Development of Superfluid Helium-3 Bolometry Using Nanowire Resonators with SQUID Readout for the QUEST-DMC Experiment
Leason, E., Levitin, L. V., Autti, S., Bloomfield, E., Casey, A., Darvishi, N., Eng, N., Franchini, P., Haley, R. P., Heikkinen, P. J., Jennings, A., Kemp, A., March-Russell, J., Mayer, A., Monroe, J., Muenstermann, D., Noble, M. T., Prance, J. R., Rojas, X. & Salmon, T. & 10 others, , 30/04/2026, In: Journal of Low Temperature Physics. 222, 2, 39.Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Open AccessFile22 Downloads (Pure) -
Charge Transport Regimes of MoS2 Nanosheets at Cryogenic Temperatures: Implications for Cryogenic Electronics
Thompson, M., Haworth, M., Hughes, O., Prance, J., Pashkin, Y., Panarella, L., Gity, F., Mirabelli, G., Fagas, G. & Duffy, R., 12/12/2025, In: ACS Applied Nano Materials. 8, 49, p. 23769-23775 7 p.Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Open AccessFile10 Downloads (Pure) -
Dark matter attenuation effects: sensitivity ceilings for spin-dependent and spin-independent interactions
The QUEST-DMC collaboration, 30/04/2025, In: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. 2025, 4, 017.Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Open AccessFile36 Downloads (Pure) -
Dark Matter EFT landscape probed by QUEST-DMC
The QUEST-DMC collaboration, 10/10/2025, In: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. 2025, 10, 044.Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Downloads (Pure)
Activities
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visit to Tyndall National Institute, Cork, Ireland
Pashkin, Y. (Visitor), Prance, J. (Visitor) & Thompson, M. (Visitor)
27/04/2026 → 29/04/2026Activity: Other activity types › Other
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Cheltenham Science Festival 2025
Thompson, M. (Organiser), Autti, S. (Participant), Salmon, T. (Participant), Whitehead, L. (Participant), Lester, A. (Participant), Henderson, S. (Participant) & Greyling, E. (Participant)
4/06/2025 → 6/06/2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Festival/Exhibition/Concert
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1st FST Fellowships Masterclass
Pinho, L. (Member of programme committee), Morley, J. (Member of programme committee), Chen, X. (Member of programme committee), Frith, A. (Member of programme committee), Belisario D'araujo Couto, T. (Invited speaker), Smith, M. (Invited speaker), Sas, C. (Keynote/plenary speaker), Pickup, R. (Keynote/plenary speaker), Gontijo Leal, C. (Keynote/plenary speaker), Milne, A. E. (Keynote/plenary speaker), Thompson, M. (Keynote/plenary speaker), Griffin, J. (Advisor), Greyling, E. (Organiser), Grabowski, J. (Keynote/plenary speaker), English, M. (Keynote/plenary speaker), Lewis, P. (Keynote/plenary speaker), Carvalho G Da Silva, F. (Participant), Atasoy, M. (Participant), Ivory, M. (Participant), Prenevost, M. (Participant), Muniz-Diez, C. (Participant), Vidler, J. (Participant), Gregson, R. (Participant), Barnes, S. (Participant), Fiske, A. (Participant), Zubair, M. (Participant), Karasu, T. (Participant), Arjariya, R. (Participant), Harley, S. (Participant), Jones, S. (Participant), Taylor, C. (Participant), Chandler, J. (Participant), Duong, L. (Participant), Johns, E. (Participant), Chen, X. (Participant), Alencar Nunes, C. (Participant), Hu, J. (Participant), Nasr Esfahani, F. (Participant), Allgood, C. (Participant) & Bailey, J. (Participant)
22/05/2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
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Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2024: A quantum view of the invisible universe
Thompson, M. (Organiser), Haley, R. (Organiser), Autti, S. (Organiser), Noble, T. (Participant), Greyling, E. (Participant), Henderson, S. (Organiser), Salmon, T. (Participant), Laird, E. (Organiser), Zmeev, D. (Organiser), Lester, A. (Participant), Whitehead, L. (Participant) & Franchini, P. (Participant)
2/07/2024 → 7/07/2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Festival/Exhibition/Concert
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Royal Society Summer Science 2014
Autti, S. (Organiser) & Thompson, M. (Organiser)
1/07/2024 → 6/07/2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Festival/Exhibition/Concert
Prizes
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Research Impact Award
Bernardo Gavito, R. (Recipient), Jarvis, S. (Recipient), Robinson, B. (Recipient), Robson, A. (Recipient), Thompson, M. (Recipient), Young, R. (Recipient) & Whitworth, G. (Recipient), 18/07/2019
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Science and Technology Dean’s Award – Excellence in External Engagement and Impact in Science and Technology
Jarvis, S. (Recipient), Robinson, B. (Recipient), Robson, A. (Recipient), Thompson, M. (Recipient) & Young, R. (Recipient), 30/10/2019
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Press/Media
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Lancaster Physics brings the search for dark matter to Cheltenham Science Festival
Greyling, E., Thompson, M. & Henderson, S.
12/06/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Newspaper Article
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Double success for Lancaster Physics at prestigious Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition
Greyling, E., Nowak, J. & Thompson, M.
6/11/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Newspaper Article
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Filmmaker joins Ultra-Low Temperature Physics team in the hunt for dark matter
Greyling, E., Thompson, M., Zmeev, D. & Chawner, J.
15/05/24
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Newspaper Article
Datasets
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Simulation of DC SQUIDs using an RCSJ model
Prance, J. (Creator) & Thompson, M. (Creator), Lancaster University, 6/02/2023
DOI: 10.17635/lancaster/researchdata/592
Dataset
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Measurements of Graphene Josephson junction SQUID
Thompson, M. (Creator), Prance, J. R. (Creator), Haley, R. P. (Contributor), Pashkin, Y. (Contributor), Ben Shalom, M. (Contributor), Geim, A. (Contributor), Matthews, A. (Contributor), White, J. (Contributor) & Melhem, Z. (Contributor), Lancaster University, 15/12/2016
DOI: 10.17635/lancaster/researchdata/121
Dataset
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Simulations of Thermal transport in nanoelectronic devices cooled by on-chip magnetic refrigeration
Autti, S. (Creator), Bettsworth, F. (Creator), Grigoras, K. (Creator), Gunnarsson, D. (Contributor), Haley, R. (Contributor), Jones, A. (Creator), Pashkin, Y. (Contributor), Prance, J. (Creator), Prunnila, M. (Contributor), Thompson, M. (Contributor) & Zmeev, D. (Contributor), Lancaster University, 5/07/2023
DOI: 10.17635/lancaster/researchdata/627
Dataset
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MoS2 field effect transistors measured at cryogenic temperatures
Thompson, M. (Creator), Prance, J. (Contributor), Pashkin, Y. (Contributor), Haworth, M. (Data Collector), Hughes, O. (Data Collector), Duffy, R. (Contributor), Panarella, L. (Creator), Gity, F. (Contributor), Mirabelli, G. (Contributor) & Fagas, G. (Contributor), Lancaster University, 10/09/2024
DOI: 10.17635/lancaster/researchdata/684
Dataset
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InAsSb Nanowires
Thompson, M. (Creator), Marshall, A. R. J. (Contributor), Craig, A. P. (Data Collector) & Alhodaib, A. (Data Collector), Lancaster University, 30/11/2015
DOI: 10.17635/lancaster/researchdata/51
Dataset
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