Konstantin Novoselov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Konstantin Novoselov
FRS FInstP FRSC
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Novoselov in 2013
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Konstantin Sergeevich Novoselov
23 August 1974 Nizhny Tagil, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
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| Nationality | Russia and United Kingdom |
| Other names | Kostya Novoselov |
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| Known for | graphene |
| Spouse(s) | Irina Barbolina |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Solid-state physics |
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| Thesis | Development and Applications of Mesoscopic Hall Microprobes (2004) |
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Sir Konstantin Sergeevich Novoselov (Russian: Константи́н Серге́евич Новосёлов; born 23 August 1974) is a famous Russian-British physicist. He is best known for his amazing work on a material called graphene. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 with his colleague, Andre Geim, for this discovery.
Today, Professor Novoselov teaches at the National University of Singapore. He is also a professor at the University of Manchester in the UK.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Konstantin Novoselov was born in Nizhny Tagil, which was part of the Soviet Union at the time, in 1974. He studied physics and earned his master's degree from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in 1997. Later, he received his PhD from the Radboud University of Nijmegen in 2004. His PhD work was guided by Andre Geim.
Konstantin Novoselov is often called "Kostya," which is a common nickname for Konstantin.
Discovering Graphene
Kostya Novoselov and Andre Geim discovered graphene. Graphene is a super-thin material, only one atom thick. It's made of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern. This discovery was groundbreaking because graphene has many special properties. For example, it's incredibly strong, lightweight, and conducts electricity very well.
Their work opened up a whole new field of science. It led to many new ideas for future technologies.
A Career in Science
Professor Novoselov has written hundreds of research papers. These papers cover many topics in physics. He has explored how tiny magnets behave and even helped discover "gecko tape." This tape was inspired by how geckos stick to surfaces.
He played a big part in the Graphene Flagship project. This was a huge European project to research and develop graphene. He also helped lead the National Graphene Institute in the UK. This institute is a major center for graphene research.
In 2019, Professor Novoselov joined the National University of Singapore. He helped start a new research center there called IFIM. This center focuses on creating "functional intelligent materials." These are materials that can sense and respond to their environment.
Awards and Recognitions
Konstantin Novoselov has received many important awards for his scientific work.
- 2008 Europhysics Prize: He won this with Andre Geim for finding and studying graphene.
- 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics: This was the biggest award. He and Andre Geim won it for their "groundbreaking experiments regarding the material graphene." At the time, Novoselov was one of the youngest people ever to win the Nobel Prize in Physics.
- Knight Bachelor (2012): He was given the title "Sir" by the Queen of England for his contributions to science.
- Leverhulme Medal (2013): This award recognized his revolutionary work on graphene and other two-dimensional materials.
He has also been recognized by many scientific societies around the world. These include the Royal Society in the UK and the National Academy of Sciences in the US.
National Graphene Institute
Professor Novoselov was a key person in creating the National Graphene Institute in Manchester. He helped design the building and even added some unique ideas. The outside of the building has scientific formulas from his early work on graphene. He says there are even some scientific jokes hidden in the patterns!
He also wrote a book about the special architecture of the institute.
Other Interesting Projects
In 2018, Professor Novoselov helped with a project at the Jodrell Bank Observatory. He helped read old radio signals from a Soviet spacecraft called Zond 6. This showed his interest in different areas of science and history.
Art and Science
Konstantin Novoselov is very interested in art, especially traditional Chinese drawing. He believes that artists and scientists are quite similar. He says both need to be curious, willing to learn, and use their imagination.
He has been part of several art projects. For example, he worked with artist Cornelia Parker for an art display. He even used tiny amounts of graphene from drawings by famous artists like William Blake and Pablo Picasso. He says he only took microscopic flakes, so the drawings were not harmed.
He has also shown his own paintings in exhibitions. One of his paintings is even in the collection of the President of China, Xi Jinping. He sometimes uses graphene ink in his artwork.
Personal Life
Konstantin Novoselov has citizenship in both Russia and the United Kingdom. He is married to Irina Barbolina and they have two daughters.
Images for kids
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Novoselov's name on the notable alumni pavement at the University of Manchester.
See also
In Spanish: Konstantín Novosiólov para niños
