We work among extraordinary people doing extraordinary things; get to know some of them by reading these quick-fire interviews.
Name: Jin Yao
Job title: NTCF Operator and Engineer
What are you currently working on?
I am very proud to manage the Department of Physics’ National Thin Film Cluster Facility for Advanced Functional Materials (NTCF). I joined the team in 2020 under supervision by co directors: Prof Henry Snaith and Prof Moritz Riede. The NTCF is a world-class fully automatic PVDs based tool and is a national facility for research into thin film-based applications such as functioning coatings, renewable energies and semiconductors. It is a unique role, and I support the facility in a range of different ways to ensure we maximise its potential. We welcome users from the Department of Physics and the wider University of Oxford as well as from other institutions and industry.
Describe a typical day
I always start my day by checking the status of all instruments in the NTCF to ensure they are ready for use before they are needed by that day’s users. I then go through and plan the workflow with Dr Matthew Naylor, our new and extremely capable technician, according to the NTCF booking system. Users often require me to design a complicated process to automate the sequences for their experiments; this might involve fabricating a complete solar cell device from just a piece of bare glass by using multiple thin-film deposition chambers.
I am also regularly in communication with external users who wish to understand our facility and to use it for their research. As a national facility, the NTCF is open to anyone who wishes to use it – after all of the prerequisite induction and training. I might also be carrying out facility demonstrations for visitors and potential users, as it is the best way to understand the capacity of the NTCF.
After lunch, I might be liaising with suppliers/contractors/building service/Estates/finance to solve any maintenance issues to ensure the NTCF can serve its community and can grow. My day ends with me checking the cluster tool again for any overnight bookings and preparing for the following day.
If you had an entire day at your disposal (not at work/studying), what would be your ideal way to spend it?
I would love to play sports with my friends – no matter the weather. In my eyes, football is the perfect sport: I love playing and find it relaxing and, to my mind, it incorporates everything we look for in a person: teamwork, decision making, strategy, communication, perseverance... you name it!
What is your favourite place in Oxford?
My favourite place in Oxford is the Botanic Garden opposite Magdalen College, where I can always find peace and relax. As I am a big fan of gardening, I also enjoy spending time there looking at all the different types of plants and reading their labels. I also love walking along the River Cherwell which starts from the garden, goes past Magdalen College School and ends at Christ Church.
What discovery would you like to see in your lifetime?
Well, there are still many unknowns, one of which is an absolute material for all energy applications which could massively improve humanity's quality of life. However, this would require the efforts of scientists for generations. With the discovery of this, I believe many of our dreams could come true.